Forbidden Pain 2
by Track 12
Summary: IY Crossover. With Kagome dead what is to become of the jewel of the four souls? More important what will happen with the remaining great demons that still want to rule all the realms? Who is left alive after the battle in Rekai? Will Yoko come to ter
1. Chapter 1

Hey all. This is a continuation to the other fic I wrote Forbidden Pain. It's technically not necessary to have read the other one…But it will help with some confusion. Email me with questions or comments and I'll get back to you. I've removed the "smut" from this since it really wasn't needed but if you want it email me and when it comes around you'll have a "smut" filled chapter…Not sure why I keep writing that but besides the point. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: The magna/anime series Inuyasha and YuYu Hakusho are not owned by me.

Chapter 1

The male put his hand to the 'normal' looking demon with black hair, fresh from a fight, blood covered, as soon as the portal closed. "You're serious about this Chenja?"

Chenja looked at the youkai of a dark blue skin color. He had a white headband and had longish black hair in one single braid out of the way wearing traditional garbs. There was also a series of white markings along the left side of his body. He nodded.

"I had to let him go back Akumu." He looked down as the violent sky of Makai raged over his head. "I see you figured out what's going to happen to Reitouzoku then."

Akumu looked around not sure why they were where they were. "He'll go back to Rekai and either he'll be killed if one of the spirit detectives are alive, either because they gave up and don't care any longer or because they figured out that Reitouzoku was lying to them even when he said he was telling the truth about Koenma… Or what I'm hoping is more probably that he'll live and no one will suspect him."

Chenja looked around as well. "I don't know which one is going to happen and since we can't be seen around him in spirit world any longer we'll have to wait for him to come out of Rekai on his own." He started walking. "And that could take years if he doesn't feel it's safe enough."

Akumu was following him walking through the grass. "Where are we in this area of demon world. No one lives here."

Chenja continued walking. "I told you I had a contingency plan. I didn't think it would be needed, but I have one. There's a grave site up ahead-" He stopped next to a green and orange tree turning to Akumu. "How long were we in your nightmare for. Your time is different than this time."

"About three days, why."

Chenja closed his eyes and continued to walk. "I don't want the body decomposed." He came to the grave site and stood over it. "Shouldn't matter much though."

Akumu looked down at the small mound with daisies, very odd for the area they were in, covering the area in some sort of pattern. He figured it out quickly as Chenja began to dig, himself helping him out.

"The fox buried the wench here. I've never seen this flower in this area of Makai. But why are we digging her body up."

Chenja tired out from his injuries and let Akumu continue. "Before Reitouzoku died I had him check out all of their files. You remember how we told you when that ancient necklace was placed around her she reverted to a ningen miko." He saw him nod, digging still, carefully. "Reitouzoku wasn't sure how, but she comes from a line of mikos-"

Akumu looked at him stopping the dig. "-how the hell is that possible she's full blood youkai, even if forbidden."

Chenja shook his head. "I don't know, but it's the truth." He saw him continue to dig and saw an area of deep red cloth covered with dirt being uncovered. "And her line of miko were the ones that guarded the shikkon no tama. Reitouzoku sent her back in time and was supposed to have her give it to him, but when she lied to him telling him it was gone he decided to let her hold onto it as a contingency plan. If something went wrong with him, us, the plan that did go wrong we could unwish it on the jewel."

Akumu had most of the silk cloth uncovered. "You mean make someone else wish it for us. I do not want any curse that damned thing has upon me."

Chenja nodded. "Of course. But Reitouzoku let her hold onto it, and he told me that since no one sensed it and the spirit detectives thought he had it, she had to of put it back inside of her body where it was reformed. So it has to be in here. She's the only other one who had known of it."

Akumu lifted the red silk wrapped body out of the ground unwrapping the body, seeing the gruesome scars, wounds, a massive hole through her chest area, the smell of death and dead blood.

"Ganban did well, before she killed him and herself. Where's the jewel."

Chenja looked at the body moving the pants down on her side and cut into the starburst scar on her hip-

He made a noise. "-it's not there." He started cutting into her body. "She doesn't even have it any longer where the hell-"

Akumu looked at the body trying to make sense of it. "-No one came into her grave site- Chenja look."

Akumu pointed to a small scar just below her heart. "How did you notice."

Akumu cut it open. "While you became frustrated and angry I focused… It's empty." He stood. "But that just means we know she gave it to someone to guard for her." He walked off. "And we have to find that person."

-

"Can't get me!...Can't reach me!... Too slow!"

A silver fox demon stood walking outside of a house seeing a kitsune jumping around a half demon three years younger than him. The kitsune was completely silver with amber eyes with specks of red in them. The half demon looked full blood and no one could really tell unless they knew him. He had very dark brown hair, almost black, long, ruff, with markings all over his body. And dark brown eyes. He tried getting something from the fox demon jumping around.

"Damnit Nijuu give it back now you know my Mother doesn't want me kicking your ass near the house!"

Nijuu laughed still jumping, waving at his father who just came out of the house. "Not my fault you have to go to school Shio!" He laughed, landing no longer jumping and tossed the book at him, jumping off before he could hit him. "Go become weaker but so much stronger with your little brain-"

The adult kitsune cut him off. "-Nijuu."

Nijuu nodded. "Allright father." His tail shoved Shio. "And you forgot to put makeup on."

Shio nodded running off. "Thanks Nijuu! I'll do it on the way!"

Nijuu turned as he ran off with his book bag looking at his father. They lived in a secluded section of the country. Grassland, forest, and of course temple off in the distance. There wasn't a neighbor for a kilometer. The house was shared by his family and Shio's family, quaint, enough room. He smiled at his father revealing a fang.

"Awh you know I like playing with him." He laughed some. "Easy too. I didn't do anything too vast this time."

The adult smiled a bit at him. "If you're going to do it next time make sure to cover your scent more so Yusuke doesn't pick up that you were the one who did it. He'll know, but can't really prove it."

He smirked. "Allright then. I'm still in training to be the great Yoko Kurama like you Dad."

Yoko shook his head. "Who told you that."

He smiled big. "Why father why would I ever tell such a thing just happened to hear it on the wind." He saw a small child run past, around five years in age with thick black hair and markings with something in his hand. "Probably a book."

Yoko nodded. "You're getting better."

Nijuu looked at him. "Have you seen Zokusai father? I haven't seen him since you and him went to visit Mom's new grave site."

Yoko looked up. "That was a week ago. I'm surprised that you're eighteen and still not used to him not wanting to be around anyone much."

Nijuu nodded. "I know. Just miss him. He is my brother." He smiled at him. "Can I go with Yusuke and Katsumo to Makai Dad?" His tail wagged. "He's taking him today for more training and he said I could go if I asked you?"

Yoko smiled some. "He always says you can go. And I always say you can." He saw his son turn hearing footsteps inside. "What's got you smiling."

A male with black hair, long, very ruff, very ragged with black markings all over himself came outside of the door with a large smile on his face with his honey brown eyes. "You'll find out when Kieko gets home." He saw Yoko smirk, and Nijuu smirk and laughed. "You're too young for that still Nijuu!"

Nijuu growled some. "Fine…Ready to go?"

Yusuke turned around. "Oi! Get out now!"

A male shorter than Yusuke by about six centimeters came outside with long brown hair, slightly ruffed up, black markings, yawning. "Dad?" He smiled at Nijuu. "You can come too?"

Nijuu noooded. "Yup let's go Katsumo!"

Yoko smiled seeing the two run off speaking to Yusuke. "You asked for it."

Yusuke laughed to himself. "He's not that much of a hassle and knows when to be himself and do as told." He walked off. "Later."

Yoko sat on the roof in remembrance thinking to himself seeing Yusuke's youngest, and last only according to Kieko, Souta, running around.

'They named him after your brother.'

A woman with shorter brown hair wearing business attire rode up to the house on her bike and got off taking her briefcase with her. Her youngest son ran up hugging her smiling.

"Hi Mommy!"

She smiled at him hearing a soft Kieko in acknowledgment above from the roof. "Hi Souta. Did you have fun today?"

He nodded. "Daddy took Katsumo and Nijuu to the other place and I told him I didn't wanna go!" He smiled being held in her arms carried inside. "I wanna spend the next week with you!"

Kieko spoke setting Souta down. "That's fine with me then. And by the way Yoko Shuichi said he'd stop by. I saw him leaving from work today and he broke up with another girlfriend."

Yoko shook his head on the roof. 'That boy's hopeless without me.' He smirked. 'I told him books wouldn't work out in the long run. Money but he's still a virg-'

Yoko jumped off of the roof seeing a kitsune walking out of the forest. He was pure black with a silver under belly and four tails, completely black. He morphed into his humanoid form having black hair with some of the back layers silver. He looked up some and nodded.

"Dad."

Yoko looked at him. "Zokusai."

He nodded. "Who's all inside."

"You don't want to be inside now."

He growled some. "Souta… Brat."

Yoko nooded. "Shuichi is coming over. When he leaves we'll travel for a few days."

Zokusai nodded. "Good."

Yoko looked at him smelling Shuichi on the wind. 'Always bad timing.' "I need to talk to you about something later."

Zokusai also smelled him on the wind. "He can wait. Ask me. You let me my space all the time Dad and I am very thankful for that but say something to me if you need, want to. You are my father."

Yoko looked at him. "Where do you go when I don't know where you're at. When you don't tell me."

"Sesshomaru sama. I pick fights with him, he chooses to train me real life style instead of killing me. I leave, wonder around the country and come back. I only go to Makai when he approves of me doing so or you… I don't like being around here."

"I know." He looked up. "I'll catch up to you."

A red head male well groomed spoke in the distance. "Zokusai." He turned to Yoko staying in front of him looking up at him as Zokusai walked off into the forest and sighed. "Go ahead. Do it every time."

"There's only been five times in about sixteen years. That's enough in itself." He smirked seeing Shuichi sighing. "Why you are as old as you are, single. You can't please a female."

"Yoko I have other measures than you do and I'm perfectly fine being the age I am and haven't knocked up over a hundred women already."

Yoko looked at him. "By what ever do you mean Shuichi? I only meant that you lack social skills and are job orientated far beyond normal. What were you thinking of?"

Shuichi smiled at him. "One of the reasons I continue to be around you." He knelt touching a flower that Souta had ran on causing its stem to grow straight. "I can't keep a woman but I got promoted again." He shook his head. "Maybe I should take some time off and clear my head." He saw the look Yoko was giving him. "Free from books and academia related topics… Actually I've been thinking about this for a while."

"To where."

"North east Australia. I have to keep working, but since I'm always increasing in status it's not more than four meetings a week, that's all. And the area has a very large Japanese population, so they'll mistake me for an Australian that speaks like a native person of Japan."

Yoko smirked. "And the Japanese will figure you exotic and will want for you to bed them. Go, now."

Shuichi shook his head. "I don't want that one track mind."

"You are leaving though I presume."

"Tomorrow, I'll be gone for two months."

"Bring condoms."

Shuichi sighed walking off. "I will see you later Yoko."

Zokusai walked out of the forest seeing Shuichi waving at him goodbye in the distance not turning around. "Father why don't Nijuu or myself have your plant abilities."

"Because you have your Mother's fire abilities and your brother is a spirit kitsune who simply did not inherited that trait." He started walking. "Come."

Shuichi woke up noticing a woman laying next to him in his hotel room, company paid for of course. He held his head not remembering having drunk that much in his life and sat up finding his shirt off but himself still wearing pants. He sighed seeing the woman fully clothed, relived.

'Junko…At least I didn't get drunk with someone I wasn't in a relationship with, but still… It's been two months already. I should ask her today before I leave tomorrow if she's interested in coming back to Japan with me.'

The woman next to him woke up, and after they both showered separately Shuichi took her for a walk along the coast line speaking to her. Noticing her faint freckles. He shook his head and looked ahead.

"Junko I told you when I first met you, that I was only here for a while on business."

She looked up at him wearing a swimming top and a wrap around. "I know. You're leaving tomorrow."

He nodded. "I was wondering if you'd come with me. Back to Japan. To my condo outside of Osaka."

She smiled at him. "I haven't even known you for that lon-" She saw him stop walking and looked in the direction he was. "Is she a friend of yours here Shuichi?"

Shuichi let go of hands not taking his eyes off of the woman in the distance, continuing to walk away. "I do want you to move in with me Junko but she's a very close friend of… Someone related to me who hasn't been seen in a long time. I'll meet you at the hotel later today."

Shuichi ran not caring about Junko for the moment seeing her getting further in the distance walking off. From what he could tell, she had changed.

She was alive.

"Kagome! Please wait!"

A short woman with black and red hair in a single braid behind her turned around. She had a scar across her right eye and discharged something that was held against her inner arm covering it from wearing a white long sleve shirt and jeans. She looked up with red eyes seeing Shuichi in front of her.

"You sense different when you're separated."

Shuichi looked her over smelling the lingering scent of burnt flesh from her and hugged her catching her slightly off guard. "Where have you been? What happened? When I was still a part of Yoko we went to your grave and it was ransacked he felt you die."

Kagome bowed, turned, and walked off. "Then he should continue to think that I am dead. I'm not going back, you should forgot that you saw me, and now that I know what you sense like I won't be found again."

Shuich followed her. "Why don't you want to come back Kagome? Why didn't you tell anyone you weren't dead? When'd you come back?"

"Not my place to say. And I am more powerful than you and will make you go away if you don't on your own."

Shuichi stayed behind seeing her walk off, and after ten seconds ran speaking. "Call Junko." He continued to run onto the beach hearing the ringing on his wireless set. "Junko?... Yes she's quiet allright but I have to go back to Japan on emergency notice to notify some relatives in person, they live out in the country and tend not to be fans of high technology. I'll come back as soon as I can, but-" Shuichi ran into a portal. "-I'd like for you to think about what I asked of you briefly. I do want to see more of you Junko, okay?... Good. You'll think on it. I'll call you later. Ja ne." Shuich spoke again running under the purple sky. "Call Kieko."

Frustrated not getting anything from the house line or Kieko's cell he continued to run through makai until he came to familiar land and exited out of a portal finding himself back in Japan. He hadn't ran that long in a while. He looked around quickly getting his bearings and turned around running through a forest.

Kieko smiled down at Souta covered with rice dust. "I told you to lift the bag up first! You fell in!"

Souta smiled at her. "I'm sorry Mommy." He hugged her, then moved apart smling at her. "I got you dusty too."

She smiled at him. "That's fine Souta." She picked him up. "Let's get you cleaned up okay?"

Souta giggled some. "I like it here with just you Mommy Daddy's real ruff."

"And I'll have to speak to him again about that." She touched his nose getting rice dust off of it. "You don't need to grow up too fast-" She turned around seeing the door open up from the stairs. "Oh, Shuichi-"

"-where'd Yoko go." He spoke breathing slowly a bit flustered. "Important."

Kieko shook her head. "Souta said he saw him go off somewhere with the twins, that was yesterday though… What happened?"

Shuichi looked around. "Do you know where anyone else is." 'The one time I need greater senses and just can't have them.'

"Yusuke's normally in Makai around this time- Oh, bye." She continued up the stairs. "Don't be rude like that Souta even if you are in a rush."

Shuichi went outside running into the forest stopping himself. He had already made a huge error.

'I just ran through a large portion of Makai, smelling like her. Smelling like a forbidden one she doesn't need anyone looking for her any more than they already do because she's hated.' He ran back through the forest knowing Yoko might just kill him in a blind rage, not on accident, came out to a small town, bought a shirt and a bag, changed putting his shirt in it and got on a bus. 'One time in my life I'm glad Nijuu's expressent and a like a far younger yoko. I can sense him when he jumps around… Why hasn't Yoko gotten him out of that yet?'

Zokusai turned around. "Shuichi's coming."

Nijuu jumped in front of them walking backwards. "Why ya think Dad?"

Yoko looked at him. "Because he sensed you jumping around putting energy into it. You know not to. I've told you not to."

NIjuu jumped next to him. "Habit. Broken… But why so quickly?"

Yoko waited for him to come and noticed from the distance. "I thought you were straight."

Nijuu snickered to himself. "That's not even passing as a man bag Red."

Shuichi looked at Yoko ignoring them. "I need to speak to you, alone, now, quickly. It's urgent."

Yoko sighed. "You go ahead." He spoke once they were out of their hearing range. "What is of this vital-"

Yoko caught his words in his throat almost chocking the moment Shuichi opened the bag and unwrapped the shirt. With her scent all over it. There wasn't a way he could forget her scent even if he didn't even know his own name.

"Yoko she's alive."

Yoko looked at the shirt suppressing a whine. "Is she in Japan or Australia?"

"She was in Australia. I couldn't get a hold of anyone at your house and it took me about three hours to get from Australia to find you. She wouldn't answer anything. Just that I sensed different when separated, why she didn't hide herself from me because she didn't know who I was. That she wanted me to forget that I saw her and that she was still dead, and she'd force me to leave her alone."

Yoko knew she wouldn't be in the same area. "What else did she say to you? Was, she okay?"

Shuichi nodded. "She had more scars, as expected. She was burning herself still, I couldn't tell how much, she wore sleeves and I can't smell as well as the last I saw her… And that it wasn't her place to say why she won't say anything to me why she didn't tell anyone go find Sesshomaru he's the one who saw her last."

Yoko turned into his fox form knowing he'd have a long way to go, to where Seshomaru's current location might be. He let out a bark alerting his two children finding them running along side of him, Nijuu with his three tails down wind for better speed. He barked again alerting them to where they were going noticing Zokusai about to grow a fourth. After about four hours running through Japan he morphed into his humanoid form seeing his two children following pursuit. He opened the grand doors sensing him inside of this residence after checking two before and spoke going up the stairs.

"Stay here."

Zokusai growled seeing his father go up the stairs and disappear down a hall. "What isn't he telling us."

Nijuu smiled confused and shrugged. "He'll either tell us or he won't. Not much we can do to change that."

Yoko continued down the hall seeing a servant enter at the very end, and moments later Sesshomaru coming out with a sleeping yukata on.

"You're bold to enter my house at this hour uninvited kitsune-"

"-did you or did you not revive my mate."

Sesshomaru looked at him, about the same height. "I did."

Yoko used everything not to growl at him. "Why did you not inform me."

"I offered her a deal when she came to me with your dead and dying kits. She didn't want to be a part of this world because of you and others believing, knowing you, they wanted her as far away from them having nothing to do with her. And she was more than willing to have nothing to do with her kits to give them a chance in this world and looked for death but asked of me to safe guard something for her. And I told her it could come at a price. That I would revive her when I no longer wished to look after what she begged of me to take from her along with one other request. Four years ago I revived her, gave it back, and told her never to find anyone she ever associated with in the past again-"

Yoko growled at him. "-the hell gives you the right to tell that to-"

Sesshomaru had his claws at his throat backing him up against a wall leaving small blood trails. "-you forget whom you speak to kit."

Yoko looked at him. "Why."

"I revived her. I own her life and she understands this and will do as I sa-"

"-why didn't you tell me when I asked if you could, would, can revive her? Why didn't you tell Zokusai all of the times he comes to your residences, seeks your training? Why do you want this for her."

"Because it is the only way." He had already noticed the twins at the end of the hall the moment the smelled the blood of their father. "You do not need to know do you need assistance to leave or can you manage that on your own."

Zokusai walked up to him. "Sesshomaru sama?" He looked at him hurt. "Why did you not tell _me_?"

Sesshomaru looked at the boy never having seen such emotion on his face, ever. He had been trained by him. And he knew it, anything about his mother, was theonly thing the boy had ever wanted in his life since he had died.

"You have a better life without the wench." He walked off. "Leave."

Zokusai shook his head. "Tell me where my mother is Sesshomaru sama."

Sesshomaru continued walking. "She's dead to you."

Zokusai kept walking towards him. "Please. Is there anything I can do for you to tell me?"

Sesshomaru stopped in front of his door not about to have a kit see his mate. Infact he was sure that Kagome was the only person currently alive who had ever seen his mate that wasn't inu.

"She was sent to Taiwan."

Zokusai looked at him. "Are you going to hurt her when we find her? Kill her again because you told he not to see us and she'll see us?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes briefly. 'Only because he reminds me of her when she grew older.' "No. leave."

Zokusai bowed to the door shut in his face and turned around walking out seeing Nijuu smiling at him. "Let's go to Taiwan brother!"

Yoko let Nijuu go ahead of them and spoke to Zokusai who stayed behind. "I apologize."

Zokusai looked down walking. "Not your fault. I shouldn't have trusted him in the first place." He shook his head. "Let's just get going."

Kagome wondered why Sesshomaru told her to go to such a small island where few spoke Japanese… Not that she wanted contact with anyone, but it helped when the youkai in the forest and rocky areas shouted at her to know what they were saying. She walked wrapping her arm from bleeding shaking her head.

'Why do I need to know when they're saying bitch, whore, mistake, die bitch, fifth, disgrace, cunt and the same things they say to me every place.'

She shook her head seeing a lesser youkai upwind ready to attack her and wondered why a lesser youkai thought they had a chance at killing her. She had been alive for this long and back again, there was a reason she was alive. She tossed an icicle at it spearing it and continued walking. Pitiful.

Coming across a stream she looked at it freezing off a section closing two fish in an area quickly piecing them up on ice picks and ate them. Like sushi… Just not prepared or with rice and vegetables or sauce-

Raw fish. She found a place to sleep noticing it the middle of the day remembering she hadn't been asleep in about three days, went into the tiny cave and closed her eyes sleeping. She woke with a startle seeing a snake youkai flinging itself at her and latch onto her throat, and another onto her right calf. She let out a small shout feeling veins severed and moved out of the tiny cave quickly cutting one in half and setting a blaze the one on her calf. She removed the snake head from her neck letting out a sound and quickly killed the other one. A bit light headed, noticing how little she actually slept, she went to the stream quickly to wash the blood off of her before she would be found out, wrapped her neck tightly to slow the bleeding, noticed she needed new clothing and headed out of the rocky forest area towards the main area. After walking for about an hour she came across a male ookami saying the normal at her she didn't have to understand, threw an ice pick into his head and as he fell to the ground dead walked back up towards the small lake to clean the pants and shirt with flower essence. And cleaned herself. She tore part of her old shirt as a belt and tied the shirt in the back so she could move her arms freely. And continued walking.

Knowing someone was stalking her. 'And would have been doing a good job of it but I'm too paranoid to even mistake anything as something non threatening to me.' She formed a small ice ball in her hand hidden. 'Paranoid but still with a heart beat.'

Kagome turned around throwing the ball with a little energy, for pure speed, at the area she knew the creature was at now feeling her neck strain some and saw a silver or white blurr quickly move out of the way. Knowing automatically the creature was at least C class and not taking any chances she created a massive boomerang planting her feet tossing it causing the youkai to quickly move and seeing it still hidden but visible, barely to her she tossed another ice ball only to go wide eyed. Kagome quickly tossed another one at it getting it off of its trajectory, caught the boomerang melting it and ran, in the opposite direction. As fast as she could go.

Nijuu shook himself on his paws whining some. He knew his mother had seen him, and was prepared knowing already the main reason why she ran away. To protect him. He ran off after her knowing he was quicker than she could ever be when in kitsune form, but that she could hide better than he could ever hope to just because of the situation she grew up with all her life.

Kagome looked down from a tree seeing Nijuu run past, bit her lip and smiled. 'He made it okay. He's grown, alive. Healthy.' She smiled some catching herself before making a single sound. 'And Yoko must be alive if he knows how to change forms.' She smiled. 'But why are you looking for me? I know you think you want to see me but I can guarantee you won't have peace you're accustomed to being around me.' "Go back."

Kagome jumped from the tree branches making her way to the only Makai portal that she knew of. She couldn't stay on Taiwan and would have to notify Sesshomaru that she had to leave.

Zokusai sniffed around a dead snake with two types of blood on it. Something that smelled similar to him a little bit, and its own. Figuring his mother took time out to sleep he heard a small whine escape from Nijuu in the distance and growled. He needed to learn more control. Trotting up to where he was he quickly turned around noticing a blur in the trees and ran after changing directions. He had no idea how his mother was that fast for only having two legs.

Kagome ran quickly and as stealthy as possible. She wasn't sure if he was alone, but knew that most of the ones after her were already dead, and nothing would harm him in the area she was leaving-

Kagome quickly jumped up swinging on a branch seeing a youkai with a gun laughing. He spoke, Kagome figuring different from the length and avoided another bullet finding herself running even quicker. Gun fire would alert Nijuu to her location, she didn't want him shot. Meaning she had to stop and kill the demon. Going back through the trees she let go flipping forward back exposed narrowly missing a bullet landing on his neck crushing it sniffing around finding on the ground level smelling two more in the area. She turned quickly burning one to a crisp hidden behind a bolder-

Kagome let out a small shot stumbling having two bullets going through her calf, too slow to completely move out of the way of all of them. She stood feeling her bone straining, quickly threw an ice pick into his neck killing him and ran off ignoring the pain in her leg.

Nijuu sniffed around trying to figure out what direction his mother went only to look up seeing his father next to him.

'You told us before that it meant to be half ice and half fire… But I didn't think like this. We gotta find Mom Dad.'

Yoko looked around, larger and with more tails than Nijuu, five more. 'Zokusai's after her already.' He ran off. 'Keep up.'

Zokusai stopped at the end of the forest watching his mother run off in mist of humans, dripping blood. And he couldn't follow, because he'd stand out and bring attention to her. He ran around the edge of the city noticing the mass of people unable to track his mother at all, lost her completely and went to the other side into a jungle and growled. She was gone. He quickly ran off.

'Check the Makai portals she'll want to get off of this island as soon as possible.'

Kagome found relief in knowing Zokusai and Nijuu, most likely Yoko as well now felt that she was already off of the island. They would be fine. She on the other hand was slowing losing breath hung by the tail of a lizard demon after getting beaten.

'This is why I never go into Makai when there's blood on me and I'm injured.' Her hands fell to her sides. 'I can find a way out of this-'

Kagome moved her feet swinging them onto the base of the lizard's tail getting clawed at heating her feet causing the lizard to throw her down. She hit a tree harshly getting up quickly gasping for air, quickly fought the lizard leaving out of the first ningenkai portal she sensed not caring where it went. She looked around finding herself in an alley and passed out before she could figure out where she was at. She woke up the moment she was able to finding herself in a bed with a cup of water and cold rice next to her. Not wanting the people to get killed because of her she quickly downed the rice and water, wrote a note and left out of the window feeling her wounds shouting at her but not quitting. She looked around unable to read the signs of where she was at, wasn't sure of the language either and ran off towards where she smelled a river until night. She'd find her way by the stars like she always had.

Zokusai came out of the nearest portal from where he saw the dead Lizard roughly killed fairing his mother in better condition and appeared in an alley. He ran past the three humans in the street and went after the dry trail of his mother's blood towards a jungle with a number of humans living in it. Figuring he had a better chance of passing as a large still growing fox than a human with ears and a tail he continued on going a bit father until he saw his mother, curled up on a bed of sugar cane. A human wearing jeans and a traditional shirt laid a cloth on her forehead and food next to her after taking care of her wounds again. Figuring this had happened to his mother before but not wanting to take that risk he trotted back to the portal to find his father and brother.


	2. Chapter 2

Side note: There's a few things in here Kagome says later that aren't going to be explained either until the end of this fic or in the middle of the third. So if it gets confusing…Everything's explained as everything unfolds. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Kagome woke finding herself slightly comfortable and immediately froze. She thought she had escaped the humans, but smelled them everywhere. With the smell…Feeling a bit ill she sat up almost whining out feeling pain. She still wasn't slightly better. Meaning she did need to sleep more. She heard people speak to her and knew _never_ to open her eyes around humans.

'Red eyes equals monster meaning kill me.'

Kagome got onto her feet finding that a sheer challenge and, deciding to take the easy way, let them put her back on the sugar cane. She couldn't get out of their village without passing out anyway. When she woke the next time she noticed that she had forgotten where she was by the alarmed look of the local's faces. Terror. Before she could get up completely she felt a rod going into her back and let out a small shout quickly falling back down. She growled pulling it out of her knocking the natives away from her with it and jumped into a tree swinging as much as she could, landed in mist of brush and stayed low. Exhausted. Needing to find a different location.

'To find Sesshomaru.'

She continued limping for a while until she made it to an over growth area, covered the opening with ice and moss and curled up on herself. Tired.

Zokusai trotted down from the village making sure to keep his tails low catching the scent of his mother's blood in the distance going after it. He jumped down finding a ledge greeted by over growth and moved the moss away finding his hand too cold. In a tropic area. He turned into his humanoid form finding her ice colder than his fire and instead punched through the ice. His mother got up to her feet and went further back into the lean over, jumped straight up putting the weight onto her better leg noticing Zokusai already there. He looked at her.

"Please stop running from us Mom. From me."

She looked at him, how smart, strong he had become. Intelligent, a hunter… To tell him that she lov-

Kagome knew there was no way she could out run him, with herself fighting to stay awake. She looked at him, shook her head, finding him in front of her before she could leave.

"Please say something Mom. Dad has rank, status. He can protect you they won't harm his mate if they know let him, me, us-"

Kagome pushed Zokusai down rolling over his back moving out of the way of a dagger aimed at her and created a small ice barrier tossing an ice ball at the head of the youkai killing it, beating it. She got up to her feet exhausted seeing Zokusai gazing at her, looking at her. She looked up at him, shook her head.

"Go away, please."

Zokusai smiled. 'I didn't remember her voice.' "Mom I'm not leaving. You're my Mom and I know you died for me and my brother but we want you to live, with us, and Dad and stop pushing me away to protect us." He looked down. "Dad, already makes us say we're full blood kitsune so that no one even gets suspicious. When I was younger I didn't. Started to." He looked at her. "I don't want to refuse you mom and I don't want to see you like this, always. You're about to pass out."

She bit her lip looking at him still, blinking heavily. "Just go away, please. You don't want to realize how much better off you are without me."

Zokusai walked up to her. "I will always be better off with you Mom. Come back to us." He whined some. "You're going to black out, oozing blood."

Kagome shook her head tears coming down her face. "Why don't you listen to your father Zokusai. I'm not even your mother, get it out of your head that I am, and move on."

Zokusai smiled at her. "I had no idea that you really did love me this much Mom. Why you're hurting to look at me because you want to give me a hug, say how much I've grown and stuff like that but at the same time want to distance yourself as far as possible from me." He smiled at her laughing a bit. "I do love you Mom. I have to refuse you in public, but you'll always know the truth, where, when it matters." He laughed a bit more. "Sounds lame but the truth."

Kagome shook her head. "Leave."

He nodded. "Okay. I'm going." He quickly moved forcing on the back of her neck knocking her out catching her before she fell. "You're coming with me."

Zokusai looked around sending out a warning growl making sure no one messed with his mother and went to a near by brook and tended to her wounds. And hurt seeing so many. He gently washed off the blood then gathered plants to help speed up the healing process from what his father had told him. He would have gotten some in Makai, but he didn't want his mother there longer than necessary now. He washed her clothing off and dressed her again.

'So many scars.'

He picked her up and made his way towards the Makai portal alerting his father and brother, not sure where they were, that he was going back to Japan. Going through demon world discreetly he made it back to the forest on the other side of his house about half a day later and laid his mother down outside in an area in the forest he had constructed rather well hidden.

'Please don't leave Mom. I miss you and I can barley remember you.'

Kagome opened her eyes seeing it night time and knew exactly where she was at. Saddened she stood seeing no one around, smelling Zokusai and feeling like used shit. She started to walk hissing from the pain in her leg and looked around some more. She sensed Zokusai looking at her, from somewhere east of where she was at. He was getting better. He wasn't going to let her leave. She sighed and laid back down on her back creating an ice dagger dragging it along her forearm with a small smile on her face. She spoke eyes closed sensing Zokusai above her.

"If you're not stopping me I see you father's already told you why I do this."

"He said since you can control your ice and fire parts unable to pass for one or the other your jakai's off balance, your energy in general and… This helps unless you have someone to keep it in check… I figure you have a higher tolerance to pain than I do, but that's deep Mom. Doesn't it hurt?"

"At first, then… It's relaxing, peaceful." She looked at him. "You know once I'm able to I'm going to leave."

Zokusai looked at her. "I know. And I want you to stay, and I know I'm not the one who is able to make you. Dad says he'll speak to you later."

Kagome closed her eyes. "You wanted to have some time with me to yourself even though you know I'll never claim you a day in my life or death."

"I know you won't. Because you want me, us protected and I know that only you know how much you've sacrificed for us. But I also know that I saw you biting your lip gazing at my brother when he first saw you, at how much he's grown, changed. You don't have to say it out loud ever, more than words."

Kagome spoke still on her back. "Why do you want me around? It's not for protection, because you know you're safer not around me. That I could kill someone who tried harming something around you but then they'd just come for me and put you in dangers way. It's not because you miss your mother, because I'm not your mother and if by fluke I was you're grown-"

"-Mom?" She didn't look at him. "I'm only eighteen. I'm not leaving home for a long time now, I'm not old enough. I'm not grown. I've grown up, but I still have a lot to learn, from Dad, others, especially you. I miss you Mom, I love you and I can look after you." He sat next to her seeing her eyes still closed. "Just let us, me. I need you and am better off with you."

"You've been around Sesshomaru sama haven't you."

"I used to, how can you tell."

"When you're not emotional you speak like him on a lesser level."

"You're still injured."

She stood having rested for a few minutes and walked towards the brook, knelt down feeling the pain ignoring it and saw Zokusai next to her. "You do still have a lot to learn." She created an ice pick in her hand looking at his going past. "You don't always get what you want, and if you think you can get what you want, if what you want is feasible it doesn't mean it's right. Maybe I do want to say here, maybe I don't. But I'm not. Other factors, some you know of, one for sure you don't and I intend to keep it that way."

"About the last time you say Dad."

"I figured that out on my own a while ago, not so much that. I'll stay for a while if you can get Kieko to want me to stay here."

Zokusai was confused. "Kieko's told me that she considered, considers you her sister why wouldn't she want you here?"

Kagome speared a fish and walked off. "Family takes precedent over family. You really do still need to learn." She went deeper into the forest sensing him still at the brook. "I won't leave."

Zokusai watched his mother disappear into the forest wondering about what she had said, where she was going… And how confused he was. But without a doubt in his mind, he knew she loved him.

Yoko looked up leaning against a tree near the house seeing Zokusai approaching him. "Your mother woke up."

Zokusai sat in front of him. "She said she'd stay for a while if I got Kieko to want her to stay and I knew how close they were, are probably an she said family takes precedent over family. I don't understand."

Yoko spoke. "Your mother knows that Kieko will not want her here now because she has family of her own, children, and knows that her being around will put them in danger. Kieko does think of your mother as a sister but will chose her own offspring over her." He looked at him still. "Is she doing better."

"She's… Reserved, quiet. I didn't think she'd be able to walk but she just walked off, fine enough and said she wasn't leaving…By the way she was looking around she could tell you haven't seen her yet, at all. And I think she still thinks you hate her or something like that. Confused."

Yoko felt bad. 'All this time.' "Think on what is on your mind for a while then go speak to Kieko." He looked up. "Nijuu has gone in search of your Mother."

Nijuu wondered around in the forest with a smile on his face not worried about a thing in the world. The tip of his left ear was bent slightly looking around smelling exactly where his mother was. It made him smile. He eventually saw her leaning very well hidden from view in the crook of a tree eyes closed, half sleeping. He smiled up at her.

"Hi Mom."

Kagome spoke not opening her eyes. "Nijuu."

He nodded. "Dad said we're leaving tomorrow, living in Makai some place discrete apparently he hasn't shown us yet… or we don't remember I was spaced off. There was this cool looking bird flying about and I didn't know I was about to pounce on it until Dad got me in check." He smiled showing a fang. "We don't really have much here, Zokusai even less, he's not here much. Anything you got hidden before we leave?"

She knew he would do something like that. 'Stupid kistune.' "Nothing." She landed on the ground seeing Nijuu next to her smiling and made the accident of looking into his eyes and bit her lip looking away. "I need to leave."

"If brother said you're not gonna leave then can I come with?"

Kagome continued walking. "Fine."

She continued listening to Nijuu, who in her mind hadn't changed much at all. Was still hyper, slightly controlled knowing when and when not to be. Curious, loving, caring, tender. Everything she wasn't but had wanted to be at one point in her life. And looking at him reminded her so much of Yoko, someone she had never wanted to see again. But she was already cold, hard, reserved… Things that she thought were sealed in her but from seeing her sons… She needed to work on it more.

'Because I didn't think it possible to love anyone this much.'

Nijuu looked at Kagome again noticing the same non expressent façade on her face. "Mom? You okay there? Almost broke a smile."

She continued walking. "Go back to your brother and father. I need to see someone."

Nijuu immediately stopped noticing the house. 'One of Sesshomaru's.' "Uhm… I can come with you Mom. Really, no problem."

She kept walking. "I'll be fine. Go back Nijuu."

Kagome went inside knowing that if the twins had found her, Sesshomaru already knew and allowed it. And she needed to know why. She walked into his room knowing he wouldn't kill her if he left the door cracked open and already knew she was coming. She bowed seeing him sitting at his desk looking at her. She made sure not to look at him.

"Sesshomaru sama why did you allow Nijuu, Zokusai and Yoko to find me. I thought you wanted no one to have contact with me save yourself."

Sesshomaru noticed she knew her place, stayed bowed and didn't look at him. "I was fine with the punishment I gave to you until Zokusai learned that I had known you were alive for some time. You know he had spent time with me. I had never seen such emotion in a creature save yourself centuries ago. You will stay with them, and leave the moment you sense or feel it, them."

Kagome closed her eyes. She didn't control her life any longer.

"Yes Sesshomaru sama."

Sesshomaru looked at her. "Don't become fooled. Leave now."

Kagome walked out feeling horrible and wanting to shoot herself in the head but knowing Sesshomaru would only bring her back. She was assigned a duty she had had for longer than she-

"-Kagome."

She stopped suddenly barley off of Sesshomaru's estate, hearing him. She refused to let herself look up at him and looked away, seeing his slipper clad feet, white skin, tail… But only half of him. She looked up at Zokusai and kept walking.

"Let's go."

Yoko felt crushed and hurt at the same time. 'She won't even look at me.' He let out a whine seeing Nijuu looking at him worried then prancing off to be next to his mother with Zokusai. "I'm sorry."

Kagome ignored him and continued walking listening to Zokusai and Nijuu. They went through the makai portal and stealthy went for about ten hours until Yoko stopped knowing Kagome wasn't healed at all. And noticed her sleeping alone- completely awake looking up alone. They traveled similarly for another four days until he led them through a series of caves and tunnels. Knowing they could quite possible go on forever she heard Zokusai growl at Nijuu who trotted off in fox form continuing to explore. She looked up with her black and red long braid still behind her to see a regal silver fox looking at her, afraid. Not able to look at him any longer she turned around closing her eyes and walked off-

"-please do not run away from me Kagome." He stood in front of her. "Don't. Just not me."

Kagome looked up at him and bit her lip. "I can't stay for long."

"Why."

"He said I couldn't tell you, them. Anyone. And he does control most of my life-" She caught herself looking to the side and down. She almost let herself touch him. "You need to forget about me."

Yoko knelt getting to her level looking at her. "I pretend not to know if you know or not, but I still love you. I love you. I never stopped loving you and I apologize. I'm truly sorry. It wasn't your fault. I was just- I held anger at myself that I couldn't protect you again, stop that from happening to you and expressed that poorly. You are my soul mate Kagome. I could never hold anger at you."

Kagome hugged him making a sound stopping herself from weeping as he stayed knelt on her level. "I can't stay for long."

"I will fight even Sesshomaru if he tries to make you leave me again."

Kagome wept on his tunic. "It's only him in part. But he said I couldn't tell you, why." She sniffled weeping freely. "Oh G… Yoko."

Yoko knelt holding her as she wept onto him, knowing she was hating herself for being weak in front of him, at all. And he hated himself for letting her think that that was a weakness.

"You by far my mate could never be weak."

Zokusai walked into the cave he left his parents seeing his mother on his father's lap arms around him, his tunic soaked in tears in various places. She was asleep.

"I didn't realize how small Mom is until I look at her with you now."

Yoko looked up at him. "She never let it stop her. I used to tease her about how small she is all of the time…" He looked down at her. "Actually she grew two centimeters."

Zokusai nodded. "I knew you could get to her. Think I could spend some time with her tomorrow?"

"She'd find you both if I tried to keep her with me all of tomorrow. She won't open up to anyone though."

"Is she still going to leave."

"Admen on it." He stroked her back. "Just a matter of when."

Kagome woke up noticing she had slept and scolded herself for it. Without a word to Yoko she stood and walked off to a different tunnel hoping to find water. She couldn't smell her way around very well. After about an hour she washed up, drank and listened.

"Hey Mom."

'He will never be depressed. He's never had himself covered with blood… It should stay that way.' "Nijuu."

"Why ya up so early? I just woke up when I smelled ya going past and wanted ta see where you were going."

Kagome still didn't look at him. "Habbit."

He nodded looking at her looking at herself in the water. "Okay then. Can I try doing that quiet bonding thing with you? I've seen lots of others do it before, never tried."

"Fine."

Kagome looked at herself in the water with Nijuu sitting next to her, trying to keep quiet. 'I don't want to do this to them. I'm surprised they can't sense it.' Her eyes smallened. 'If no one comes in a month, if they don't get near…I'll stay. But until then I can't let them get attached to me, close to me. I won't make that mistake with Yoko I don't love him. I don't love him. I don't love him. I don't lo...'

Nijuu entered the cave dragging a carcass or some sort and sat next to Zokusai. "Hey brother did Dad ever tell Yusuke _why_ we left? I'm guessing no 'cause of Kieko but… Just wanted to make sure." He dropped the carcass. "Want some?"

Zokusai didn't even bother looking at him. "He didn't and you should think more before speaking."

He shrugged eating. "Whatever… You seen Mom?"

"She's to herself as normal. I'm worried about both of them though."

Nijuu smiled at him getting some blood on his face. "I think Mom'll come around. Can't keep like this forever, she loves us remember?" He smiled eating with his mouth open talking. "We'll get her to open up a little."

Kagome walked around in the cave aimlessly. Something she hadn't done in years… It felt good. She realized where she was walking towards and went down another tunnel when she stopped noticing it.

"I, don't want to."

She went into a different cave seeing a pile of stolen goods and was surprised Nijuu hadn't gotten into it and sat eventually in a small room. After noticing how much time had passed she figured not even Yoko knew where she was and walked her way back to the entrance to the cave and sat on the opposite end of Yoko next to Zokusai, the three looking out at the moon in the sky. They all turned, the simplest gesture from her making them warm inside. And Nijuu began wagging his tail with a smile on his face until he heard a quiet bark telling him not to say anything. Having him quietly bark back why he couldn't, causing Yoko to growl at him…

Kagome looked on no longer looking outside but leaning against the cave wall looking at Nijuu yipping/barking at the two trying to knock some sense into everyone. She didn't have to understand what they were saying, she didn't care to. She really didn't want to leave, this.

Zokusai barked quietly. _"I told you be quiet right now Mom'll think-"_

_Nijuu growled. "-You two are the ones who think that Mom'll run away or something but you don't talk to her I do I wanna-"_

Yoko shook his head. _"Quiet-"_

The Yoko turned, his two sons following pursuit to see Kagome looking at them, _him_. With an extremely small smile on her face. But it was still there.

"I find this amusing as well, and that I dared to dabble in it."

"Yeah… How big is your cave."

Yoko smirked. "Very big, long, thicker than most-"

"-Yoko-"

He spoke with a smirk. "-why dear Kagome whatever is on your mind? The walls are thicker than most caves and it is quite large in general. I'm afraid whatever you might have bee thinking about wouldn't be proper to speak of in front of these two kits."

Kagome sighed closing her eyes. "Arrogant kitsune."

Nijuu smiled as Yoko continued. "You know you love me."

Zokusai looked at Yoko. "I'd like to know the answer now Father."

Nijuu spoke laughing. "Pervert!"

Yoko smiled. "Slightly over six hundred years. There's a ledger here I kept upon the first item I stole here and placed, I'm surprised you don't already know Nijuu."

Kagome spoke. "He hasn't found it yet and that's not what I asked. Six hundred forty seven."

Yoko moved sitting in front of her. "Dear mate I've asked you not to speak of things with the kits near. Very long indeed-"

Kagome opened her eyes, looked at Yoko and sighed. "Stop talking about your penis."

Nijuu was on the ground laughing, Yoko spoke wrapping his tail around her waist. "We can start, at a later time if you'd like-"

Kagome stood getting out of his tail walking out of the cave. "-let's go _Zokusai_."

Nijuu stopped laughing and sat up making a small yip. "I wanna come too Mom!"

Kagome continued walking. "I don't need a second Yoko around me right now, even if you won't talk about _that_ all of the time."

Yoko spoke seeing her not far from the cave yet with a smile on his face. "He won't talk about what he doesn't know love. Don't educate Zokusai on that."

Kagome returned a few hours later seeing Nijuu sleeping in kitsune form next to Yoko, also in kitsune form. Zokusai walked off somewhere in the cave, and if it weren't for the fact that Yoko had more tails and was still larger than Nijuu, and that she had his body memorized she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Infact as close as they were circled up on each other they blended in. She walked past only to find one tail wrap around her bringing her to him. She noticed him still sleeping, or at least she thought until she felt another tail moving towards her-

Kagome's eyes widened finding herself unable to get out of his tail not wanting to feel that much right now, with Nijuu next to her. Hoping he just wanted her to pet him she did so hearing him deeply purr and soon turn around looking at her. She barley noticed preoccupied with petting him, stroking around his ears. Knowing he was even larger than her now she noticed Yoko kick Nijuu hearing him make a noise, growl, and trot off. Not wanting to think of what was going through his mind she found herself quickly at the mercy of the fox and smirked. Maybe she wouldn't try to fight this after all. They did love each other.

Yoko woke opening his mouth making a sound, yawhining, seeing Kagome eyes closed in his tail. He nudged her with his nuzzle knowing she was long awake, and wasn't even sure if she went to sleep at all. He couldn't tell anymore. He was going to break her of that survival instinct, habit.

Kagome looked at him. "Are you going to let me out of your tail so I can get your seed off of my entire body or do I have to get myself out." Kagome sighed feeling herself moved as he rolled over onto his other side. "Damn kitsune."

'I know for a fact you weren't thinking that mere hours ago, for hours my dear Kagome.' He licked her back. 'Salty.'

"you're horrible, know that." She laid onto his tail giving up fighting him. "Damned arrogant as well."

'Once again not true. If I were horrible I doubt you would have been shouting that much, me feeling you that much around me. In a dainty attempt to milk me from the seed you seemingly would rather dri-'

Kagome got out of his tail shoving her way out and ignored the fox left in her wake. She went to the cleaning pool in the cave glad to have herself clean. When she went under to wash her hair she came back up seeing Yoko kneeling, humanoid form wearing his same tunic. He smirked at her.

"I also wouldn't be damned according to you, if you moan so loud even Nijuu has to go further back into the cave and you were the one who-"

Yoko smirked seeing Kagome going back under water speaking when she came up for air a few minutes later. "You need help."

Yoko lifted her out of the water seeing her about to dry herself with fire but instead began licking her dry. Innocently enough with her hand, he worked his way up to her arm… Neck… Stomach-

Kagome growled at him. "-Damnit Yoko-"

Yoko smirked continuing holding her down with his tail. "-I went to sleep I never said I was done with you Kagome."

Kagome wanted to clean herself put closed her eyes nudging against Yoko. "If you'd shut up from hearing your own voice." She stood walking off towards the cleaning pool. "Better yet…"

Yoko smiled and after about twenty minutes went after her seeing her already out of the pool, body dry, running her hands through her hair drying it from heat. She put it back into a braid not caring if Yoko liked it or not still standing nude and looked at him still braiding.

"You got something to hold me down that isn't a part of your _damned_ body since I doubt you have a sports bra laying around."

Yoko tossed her something. "I didn't rip it." He smirked. "I rather enjoy your breast I wouldn't want them tenderized from something or someone that isn't me. And I've cleaned it for you love."

Kagome put the sports bra on that was a bit too tight, meaning perfect to make sure no movement and hardly any curves. She put on the kimono she found in a material far too extravagant for her and tied the obi.

"And I'm not going to sleep because I don't want your damn tail hands paw hand foot hair leg or anything I didn't name rutting with me for too damn long." She walked past him. "That's what."

Yoko smirked at her. "Harsh. What don't you want to tell me."

Kagome sighed feeling him behind her. "That I'm not going to just spill out to you because we mated for six days strai-"

Yoko growled going outside in the moon light. "-aside."

Kagome continued going towards a forest. "I'll tell you once I'm sure no one is around including animals, youkai, relations and ningen." She jumped up into a tree. "You'll understand why then now get away from me now."

Kagome opened her eyes from sleeping knowing no one who wasn't at least A class would mess with her smelling Yoko on ever crevice of her body washed or not and felt refreshed. She looked down a bit realizing she probably hurt Yoko.

'I wasn't playing. I did want him to leave from damn near fucking me for that long when I told him I didn't want to. Hell he should know first hand a body can react and not wanted. Why I killed myself in the first place.' She pushed off of the tree going to find something to eat. 'But I'd never want to hurt him. Dumb fox. Just not used to being around someone who gives a damn about me.'

She walked up to Yoko after eating, always alone remembering the only time she was seen eating was when pregnant, and when he was there he _never_ let her out of his sight. She saw him sitting in the cave against the wall and knelt in front of him. She walked past speaking quietly.

"I didn't want to say it like that. Just something else I'll like to get used to with time."

"Eloquently put."

"When are you going to Sesshomaru."

"Now, if you'd like. That's not even the main reason I stopped causing you too much pleasure."

Kagome was annoyed but hid it well. "Tell me something I don't know."

"You're with my kits again."

Kagome sighed hearing him laughing. He knew she detested him knowing when she was pregnant before she could. She ignored it and heard Zokusai and Nijuu coming from outside. Not having anything to say she remained quiet, walked back to Yoko and bent down slightly, he was that tall, and gently kissed him and walked off. The twins stopped at the entrance to the cave seeing Kagome going past them.

"Let's go."

Yoko smiled feeling content knowing she didn't mean it at all but still slightly hurt. Even if she did he'd bounce back with very little time.

'I'd love you even if you hated me.'

Kagome led her two through Makai for hours to the appropriate portal back to the area of Japan they were looking for speaking as soon as out not stopping walking.

"Clean yourselves and go to the Uremeshi house until your father comes back for you."

Nijuu spoke. "Uhmm… Okay! Later Mom!"

Yoko left the portal feeling Kagome already that far ahead and shook his head. He caught up to her sitting just outside of Sesshomaru's property waiting for him. She looked up at him seeing him just looking at her.

"You don't have to explain everything to me Kagome." He sat down next to her seeing the look she gave him. "Unless I ask of course."

Kagome sighed. "Arrogant kitsune."

"You can take a walk for as long as you'd like my dear, no questions needed, asked."

Kagome looked at him, then down speaking over the quiet. "The jewel of the four souls is as old as Midoriko trapping her soul with the three youkai that she couldn't defeat to ensure peace… Everyone knows that it only created more death, chaos… You know the stories. But regardless midoriko's soul is far older than most take it for. The jewel isn't one thousand years old, it's not ten thousand. How long I don't know but it's old. And Midoriko made it that since she was casted into her own creation that there would be someone to take after it to make sure that no one abuses it."

Yoko spoke. "The guardian of the jewel."

"Right. And once one dies there's a new one… Only that… Midoriko chose a miko to be the first guardian, how, no idea being a living spirit with no body. A warrior miko like she was. And it was passed down to other warrior mikos as they continued to be killed off then to mikos when warrior mikos weren't around…I still have no damn idea of how it got to me. Damn obvious I'm not a miko. Maybe Midoriko thought it would be better to hide something that's wanted in something already hated or something I don't know…"

Yoko looked at her. "What are you trying to say."

Kagome still looked down. "When I went to Sesshomaru I told him I was going to kill Chenja and myself. I knew that it was, the shikkon no tama, was going to just sit in me wherever my body would be. And that the only possible back up plan the three youkai could have if they failed would be to use it some how, or wait the same time they had waited before. Which wasn't an option since they were sick of waiting. Sesshomaru listened to what I had to say and told me that he would not have someone who didn't even know what was in them trying to guard something that, this important, the youkai would just come up to her and kill her with ease.

So he asked me if I knew of anything, anyway to make it so that, since how he knew I was going to kill Chenja, I could come back, at least my mind, spirit, soul, and guard it. Bring me back to life. He said that was the only way I'd get the necklace around me again. So I told him I could bind my soul to the shikkon no tama, after he put the necklace on. And knowing no one lied to him and lived, knowing as how I wanted to die, did so. So I did it. My soul is in the jewel. I gave it to him to safeguard not trusting anyone else or wanting anyone else to have that type of responsibility and he told me he'd revive me and ensured that no one would burn my body, how I'd become reincarnated, be a mess. So when he did, he gave it back putting it inside of me, told me Chenja and someone called Akumu had ransacked my grave site and were looking for the Shikkon, had gotten close to him but figured not and told me to disappear."

Yoko felt bad. "He told you more than just disappear."

"Not like I had a choice. Regardless I figure you should know. It's in me now, around you. You being you can protect me but not even Sesshomaru could protect me with this from the world, everything."

"Where's it at in you."

"Hip, other side. I can live without it in me just fine. But once it's wished on I'll either die and have my soul trapped inside as well once it rematerializes or I'll just cease to exist."

Yoko looked ahead. "What if a pure wish is made."

"According to old crap everyone says the jewel will cease to exist." She smiled some. "If I were some ningen, making a pure wish or finding someone who could would be my goal… Sesshomaru told me though, that if someone did make a pure wish, if it were even possible, that I'd get my soul back and would live…So…"

"And you want to keep running because you don't want Chenja, Akumu to find you. Least of all around Nijuu and Zokusai. Never around me."

"We couldn't stop them before, we have far less and more responsibilities… And I honestly don't want to put you in that position but I do love you Yoko and seeing you not knowing I was alive… I can't do that to you, even if it kills you."

Yoko looked at her and kissed her head. "Okay." He stood walking. "Let's go to Sesshomaru."

Kagome stood and looked at him. "Yoko?"

He stopped, smiled and turned towards her. "Let's go love." He spoke when she caught up next to him walking. "Does he know you're here."

"I doubt it." She looked down. "I'll wait outside then."

Yoko entered the large estate through one of the back doors not trusting a single entrance and stealthy made his way towards Sesshomaru's bedroom in the middle of the night. He knew he didn't have a chance at slitting his neck so deep his head would roll off of his head unless he did this perfectly, then better than that. This was him breaking ties with Sesshomaru, his oldest living non enemy slightly more in favor than neutral alliance. But that didn't matter much at all. He had sentenced his mate to a death worse than death and that was unforgivable. If he did manage to kill Sesshomaru, he'd be the most powerful youkai in existence, the title Sesshomaru has had…For about five hundred twenty two years now. He'd also have ever dog demon after his head. If not and he wasn't killed by him…

Yoko, seeing the doors closed laced a plant around the old fashioned hinges and opened the door. He saw Sesshomaru wearing only traditional pants holding his fully clothed mate. He had never seen her before, heard of what she looked like. Black hair, green markings, blue eyes, black tail. He looked around making sure nothing was going to disrupt him, made his way behind Sesshomaru and took out a sword he had thieved inside of his own home from his tunic-

Sesshomaru reached up with his claws grasping the sword nearly severing his thumb oozing blood and pushed Yoko back and raised his lip showing his fangs eyes tingeing red. Yoko barked at him not wanting to let his instincts take over, and hoping not doing so would cause Sesshomaru not to go into _his_ true state, which would give him no possibility for survival, for taking care of Kagome. He heard a low growl from Sesshomaru causing his mate to quickly wake up wide eyed in seeing yoko and run out of the room. And the moment she did so-

Kagome looked up outside sensing Yoko and Sesshomaru's yoki growing by the second as they fought. She knew that unless Yoko had injured him before hand gravely there was no chance he'd survive. She looked down.

'Even less that he'd let him live. You know I don't care Yoko let it go and I'll beg for your life-'

Kagome turned around standing quickly seeing a silver/white inuyoukai standing directly behind her. With green markings. Kagome looked at him backing away noticing him countering her with every step. She bit her lip.

'He told me, you told me Sesshomaru. That I'm nothing now and that if it weren't for the jewel you would…You even got them to think the same thing, didn't you?' She looked away, remember who they were, who was infront of her, and what she was. What she was born as. 'But I know it's best Sesshomaru, you do too. Why should you, when no one else does?'

"I do not want to fight Sesshomaru-dono or his."

The inu shook his head. "Your mate made that decision for you-"

Kagome didn't have time to move out of the way much feeling claws grabbing a chunk of her side ripping it out. She side stepped out of the way quickly putting her hands up holding onto a block burning his hand finding him kicking her in the stomach. Kagome let out a shout coughing out some blood, felt the same kick and knocked down to the ground. She quickly rolled back seeing his claws coming at her and jumped to her feet creating an ice ball throwing it slightly slower than normal and quickly creating a large boomerang in both hands throwing it at him as quickly as possible feeling her ribs break from her side. She saw the inu jump over the ice ball that had split itself into two, jump on one boomerang catching the other and knock a smaller boomerang not noticed before with his tail. As Kagome jumped up in front of him with a fire encased ice sword in hand striking him full force in his stomach.

The inu fell off of the boomerang slightly in the air with a deep wound in his stomach and knelt, growling, eyes tinged red, seeing Kagome running away as quickly as possible in the distance leaving a blood trail.

Yoko felt an enormous gush of yoki outside at the boarder to Sesshomaru's main grounds and when thrown past the window again turned seeing a large white dog running in the distance extremely fast for his size. Knowing why he knew he had to get to Kagome before he killed her, clawed at Sesshomaru's throat making contact with sheer speed and ran out of the house in kitsune form.

Kagome couldn't think of a time she had run faster in her life. She had just found Yoko, his two sons. She did not want to leave them, that. She felt the yoki increase sensing a massive number of lesser youkai that had passed themselves off as animals fleeing the area leaving her alone in a massive grass field running. She felt the ground shaking once, figuring he took off running after her and wanted to be able to know how to run faster-

Kagome let out a shout feeling his paw land on her hearing a loud resonating growl and within the same second black out.

The inu growled seeing Kagome no longer moving at all and turned seeing a small in comparison silver creature running at him. He stepped in front of Kagome growling. The creature came to a stop with eight tails behind him snarling at the massive dog, took a step and pushed off for his neck when they were both stuck down by a poisoned whip. Sesshomaru looked at the inu.

"Maramaru."

The inu morphed back with a massive cut along his stomach looking at Sesshomaru angry. "Father she-"

"-you are the one holding the most incompetence if you let a lowly wench injure you as such." He turned to Yoko. "And I will kill you if I ever see you again a day in your life unwanted. Leave now."

Yoko snarled at him, picked Kagome up in three of his tails and ran off to safety. Passing near Uremeshi house hold he let out a bark warning them, and that he'd come back for them later.


	3. Chapter 3

It's already finished so what does it matter how long or short the chapters are right? I just haven't edited any of them yet. Why I can't post them all at once. Spell check doesn't work that well all the time as you all know. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Kagome woke up feeling her side healed put something still on it… And something on her back. Meaning she was on her other side… But she felt light headed. Meaning she was in _his_ tail. She opened her eyes seeing Yoko still injured from Sesshomaru, gravely, in fox form.

"If you're going to wake up as soon as I try getting out of your tail at least let me find something to make sure you don't die from injury."

She saw him open his eyes then close them again undoing his tail. She returned ten minutes later not wanting to leave him for long and took care of him as much as she knew how to. She was all but finished when she moved to his sixth tail, because apparently he could tell when they grew in, seeing it almost severed completely. She felt bad, applied herbs, wrapped it up…

Yoko opened his eyes quickly a bit alert not knowing when he had become lax and passed out quickly getting up to his paws. He couldn't sense Kagome around, near. It was a close cave he quickly cleared out, killing, and she was gone. Alerted feeling well enough and would have regardless concerning his mate he went outside quickly stopping at the edge of a brush of trees seeing Kagome hassling for breath, looking fresh from a fight leaning against a hump of grass protecting something in her arms. She looked up some seeing Yoko standing a bit worn.

"I needed to find more bandages for your wounds so they wouldn't get infected. You need to rest more Yoko-"

Yoko picked her up with ease going back. "-I love you Kagome."

Kagome was exhausted. "I love you and you don't-"

Yoko set her down seeing her trying to take care of him still. "-mate you were attacked again because you love me. Let me take care of you like you've been taking care of me."

Kagome looked at him. "Sorry."

Yoko took her shirt off cleaning her wound out again not looking at her face. "Nothing to be sorry for or apologize about."

Kagome felt bad and didn't know why. "It's just… I had never seen you that injured before or heard of you that injured and I was, scared. That you really were hurt. And when I found out you were I just had to make sure you'd be okay. Felt normal, natural."

Yoko bandaged her. "It's called being truly mated love." He looked to his left getting an herb. "Your belly's grown. How long was I out for."

"I woke up four days after we went back to Ningenkai. Today's the eighteenth day."

Yoko felt bad for how much he had worried her if he had slept that long. "How can you tell eighteen."

She looked up. "The constellation in the sky next to the crane. That one only shows so many days after the little dipper if facing north west. Eighteen."

Yoko licked her stomach. "Kits. Who was your first mate."

"Yoko Kurama."

'She wasn't mate to him.' "Who was your son's father?"

"Fukai was his name." She continued at the stars. "He was killed protecting his son."

"What was his name."

"Shippo." She smiled some. "Actually I had a picture of him, a lot. But when my shrine burnt down there wasn't a single one left. But I wouldn't've known I was youkai if he were alive and that means I would have never known you. But, you would have liked him. A milder younger version of Nijuu but more curious. He had bright green eyes, brownish red fur and hair…" She smiled. "His father died before he could teach him how to hide his paws and he never learned how to. And with his illusions he never thought to hide his tail when doing them on himself but if it weren't for that they were perfect." She smiled biting her lip. "And at such a young age."

"What type of youkai was he dominate of."

She smiled still gazing at the stars. "Come on Yoko I don't wanna cry on the bandages." She laughed a bit. "Wow. G that was so long ago."

Yoko sat up looking at her. "You'll be there for them always Kagome."

She laid stayed where she was at not wanting to hurt him from her 'weight'. "We need to stop dreaming." She was exhausted. "I gotta sleep."

Yoko gazed at her for a while continuing to care for his mate. He figured it was a group of mid B class that tried doing so to her.

'I want you to feel happiness not pain.' He nuzzled her head. "Sleep mate. I'll be here when you wake."

Kagome opened her eyes whining some. She hadn't thought to eat in a _long_ time, just focused on Yoko. She saw him sitting aside against the cave wall looking outside. He was basically healed- He was healed. Herself on the other hand…

Yoko turned seeing her smile. "What makes you smile mate if you're not thinking about mating?"

Kagome smiled. "I'm not going to let your perverted mind ruin my rare good mood. I, don't really know…I don't know." She looked up at the ceiling. "I've never just, wanted to smile. Was weird at first, but now…new."

Yoko still looked at her. "You're happy."

"I shouldn't be happy and not even thinking about that…"

"What you told me earlier."

"But, it's, life."

He saw her smiling more. "You don't have mood swings and aren't hormonal when pregnant so I suppose you truly are happy so what now causes this smile."

Kagome smiled and looked at him still on her back. "I'm surprised you didn't think of it first with your mind set."

Yoko growled going over to her. "You're the one," he kissed her. "who said you didn't want this mood _ruined_" he heard her gasp from where his tail was. "from my mind set yet you were thinking about mating, not…I so much."

Kagome sat up and kissed him taking his tunic off. "I know you can be gentle."

Yoko gazed at Kagome waiting for her to wake up. She was healed as of three days ago and was… He was learning more and more about her every second that she allowed him to stay with her. And he meant to think of it that way. Because she was opening up far more than she ever had before. Allowing herself to laugh, smile, and actually _speak_ slightly more without being probed for information…And for some reason that he didn't care she was almost inciting rutting more than he was. But through all of this, he knew there was no way that she had gone to care free in a few days, in a week. He knew she'd leave without a seconds notice if something went wrong, happened, after her for the shikkon. And there was nothing he could do about that. She had learned how to alternate being hardened from pleasure-

Kagome moaned, sat up and kissed Yoko. "The rare times I actually do over sleep do you just sit and gaze at me."

Yoko kissed her back gently rubbing her stomach. She may have a want and he may have a greater want, but she was still pregnant and he would never do that to her. He held her resting his hands on her stomach.

"By your definition of over sleeping is four hours then you are mistaken love. I'll figure out how to get you to sleep more." He saw her relaxed. "You have three in you, I'll get you to eat more as well."

Kagome looked up at him. "Why have you been killing everyone that sees you?"

Yoko kissed her. "Uremeshi and myself have killed ourselves off, and having evidence that we're alive would not be welcomed at this time. Aside of his, only Maramaru and Sesshomaru are the only ones on this planet with hope who know of our existence."

"Can we bring back your kits now."

Yoko stood. "Stay here. I'll be back with them shortly."

Kagome sat up on her side once Yoko was out of sensory range. She was free. She had 'freedoms'.

'And I could leave him right now and disappear and never have to worry about his safety because the fool mated me. Zokusai and Nijuu could live their lives, Nijuu like the spirit fox he is and I could continue to pray for Zokusai to become more unhardened as days go by. For them to _have_ freedoms. And all I have to do is get up and run away. And that's just what I would be doing. Running away. It's about me and yet it's not about me. I want them safe they want me happy. But I can't be safe with or without them and I can't be happy without or with them. Together I can see the twins smile, grow, love Yoko…

But apart I know they are safe and can have a life.' She stood walking deeper into the cave. 'Not now. I don't want to hurt Yoko either, but I'd rather him hurt then dead…I'm scared to be happy.' She put her hands on her stomach looking down. 'But I'll be even more damned if I claim any one of these, because then they will be damned-'

Kagome tensed quickly looking up. Someone was in the cave and had been for some time. Meaning he entered before- _She_ entered before Yoko left. Kagome looked around not sure where it was coming from and couldn't sense her. She looked around the cave more side stepping around the small lake knowing she already knew she was sensed.

'I want to stay. I don't want to leav-'

"-Surprise."

Yoko shook his head getting the notion out of his mind. 'She wouldn't leave. She doesn't want to on some level.'

Nijuu jumped in front of him going into the cave. "Where's Mom?" he sniffed around. "I don't smell her in here."

Zokusai looked down the cave tunnels. "Her scent is about two hours old. The time it takes for you to leave and come back with us."

Yoko followed her scent to the last place he smelled it and looked around seeing nothing. 'She hadn't left to go hunting, but she _did_ leave the cave…But the scent ended. She wouldn't leave like that and especially not while with kits.' Yoko hid his confusion. 'But if someone had taken her I would have sensed her fear or pain. Nothing…But she wouldn't leave.'

Zokusai looked around. "Mom…" he spoke looking ahead and Nijuu trying to sniff something out. "I'll believe you if you tell me she didn't leave."

Yoko growled at him. "She's _very_ pregnant she wouldn't leave."

"But she could-"

Yoko picked him up against the wall growling at him. "-if you do not stop with your pessimistic ways kit-"

Nijuu spoke stopping his sniffing. "-Dad this isn't one of your caves right? Who'd you take it from?"

Yoko spoke still having Zokusai against the wall with one hand. "A stray ookami why."

"'Cause there's some scales on the ground here and I know ookami keep their dens and what not some how even cleaner than yours Dad since you've-"  
Yoko dropped Zokusai landing on his feet and went over to Nijuu. "told me before. Is this from a lizard demon Dad?"

Yoko picked up a scale in between two claws. "Well done Nijuu."

Zokusai growled some holding onto his neck. "How long until Mom births."

"Around three weeks at the most." Yoko hesitated. "Come. And Nijuu if I sense you being lax with your energy I will-"

Nijuu morphed into his fox form and nodded. 'Won't happen Dad. I'll do what you say and fight and do good! Sounds fun!'

Zokusai growled trotting past him. 'You've still to be in a real fight.'

Nijuu shoved him with one of his tails. 'Whatever 'I almost have four tails'. Why we grow up to get more experience unless you want me dead-'

Zokusai growled at him. '-I can arrange something rather quickly as laxadisacle as you-'

Yoko growled. _"Enough." _He stared out of the cave. The only idea he had to where his mate was, because he would not believe that she ran away, was a lizard demon. _"Out of millions."_

Zokusai looked around as well. _"We could ask for a lead if something has been astir in the forest. Nijuu could ask Ragadiska since I apparently scare him too much."_

Nijuu laughed for a fox. _"I remember that. But yeah Dad he'd know. We don't keep a lot of contacts and most are Zokusai's."_

Yoko trotted off. 'You trust him Zokusai.'

_"I don't trust often but he's so afraid of me that he won't lie. The one time he did." _Zokusai laughed getting to the front running off leading the way. _"The one time he did you'll see for yourself what happened to him."_

A demon that looked like a mix between a panther and a bird of some sort sat inside of his small home in Makai reading when he looked up brushing his blue hair from his face.

"Come in." He set the book down turning and laughed once. "So you're Zokusai's brother, Nijuu."

Nijuu nodded. "Uhm yeah. He might come by later if I don't leave soon enough. He's a bit ways out."

Ragadiska nodded. "Then hurry up and ask what you want."

Nijuu stifled a laugh turning it into a cough seeing his left and right hands missing digits, and something else… "Well my brother and I have acquired some more lands since you've last run into him and we'd like to know if you know who's been trespassing on them. We're not as strict as some have and still are in 'other parts'," he paused for a slight chuckle. "but we don't like it when people ruin on the lands we've worked for."

Ragadiska looked at him still. "What area."

"Right outside of the South country side Edo makai portal, that area. Some lizard demon but the thing ran away as we got there."

Ragasiska nodded. "There was a very hushed notice sent out about two months ago. Someone's after some demon that apparently stole something of this guys, what, I don't know and I don't believe it because of how it was set up."

"how so."

"Like someone trying to hire out someone who was hired out. None of it was lower level stuff. Anyway the pack of lizard demons who were fit for the task were from all the way north, and I mean north, Sapporo. They came down here, took some demon and left from Totori to somewhere in Matsue." He looked at him. "But you two's territory is in Makai outside of Osaka so I'd like to kno-"

Zokusai came in immediately cutting off another one of his digits getting a shout as he slammed him to the floor standing on his neck. "-do not even try to manipulate my brother tell me everything now or I will hunt down and kill your offspring and let you watch."

Ragasiska noticed Nijuu's tail flop some but hassled for breath and looked at Zokusai. "Lizard demons from Sapporo were hired out by someone I don't know who to take a demon, small, maybe a slightly older child or a short woman, who was in Totori to Akita not Matsue." He felt more pressure on his neck. "And, and then that demon they took, they're to transfer it out of Japan by human transportation to make it all the less gossiped of in Makai."

Zokusai looked at him. "To where."

"Vladivostok. It's Russian land but it's so close to Japan the youkai there are almost all Japanese speakers and there are a lot of Japanese humans there too." He coughed up some spit. "Honest!"

"Lizard demon can't survive in weather that cold who's transporting in Akita."

"I don't know!"

Zokusai kicked him in the head. "Nijuu."

Yoko waited in a forest close to the small house seeing Zokusai leaving on two legs and Nijuu walking besides him, who immediately looked at him.

"Brother's mean Dad."

Zokusai ignored him. "Lizard pack to Akita by plane to Vladivostok."

"Russia." Yoko thought for a while. "Nijuu if you can act right now when we get there you will act right and find out some information if we can't track through snow."

Nijuu started running along side of him on fours. 'Like what Dad?'

Kagome had to open her eyes. They had been closed, keeping herself 'asleep' for the past two hours and she had no idea of where she was at. Looking around for herself didn't help either. Snow. Snow on the ground, in the sky, in her face.

In the truck she was in the back of. She couldn't see as far she she'd like, though she doubted she would see anything more than snow, but looked down seeing her hands tied extremely tightly behind her and her ankles chained together. She couldn't see the sky to tell where she was…Infact she didn't know if it was just dark because of how much snow there was or if it was night. After about three more hours keeping herself warm hoping she had done so unconsciously for her unborn, the snow halted only because they entered into a type of warehouse. Huge.

'But why in Ningenkai… Unless.'

Kagome felt the kits moving around again much more active, as normal. They could tell they were out of the cold. And she had to find someplace safe so that the kits would have a chance at life. She looked around and automatically knew it.

'There are ningen here. Meaning they're physics and I really do have to run now. They know I have the shikkon jewel.'

There were about twenty different humans around the area all wearing coats, most around the generator on the far side of the room with a few on the sides leaning against large crates and boxes. The two in the truck were demon who could easily pass as human, meaning no higher than D class or at least high A class so that they were a type that could hide non human features. As she spread her senses around she felt about thirty more demons, but figured they were below. Maybe a tunne-

Kagome was picked up by the neck and tossed onto the heated ground. She bounced once and sat up coughing up a small amount of blood making her stomach hurt. She looked at the front and back of the truck, no license plate. The boxes and crates had no writing on them, and the generator was too far away to read. A youkai with green eyes and bluish skin walked up to her.

"Hey there girly." His smile faded as he kicked her in the face knocking her down. He grabbed the back of her head punching her in the face before kicking her in the stomach causing her to shout. "Feel like the shit you are don't cha?" He kicked her again. "Forbidden witch." He walked off some spitting on her. "I want one thing and one thing only from you-"

Kagome shouted feeling herself kicked down again, legs held down shoulders forced down as a physic used a knife cutting her getting her shirt off. The youkai from before put his foot on her side where an old scar was.

"Right here. Or at least it was. Where's the jewel wench and I promise we'll kill you before your bastard babies are brought into this world to be hated."

Kagome's eyes smallened getting the pain in check. "I don't know and I don't have it-"

"-if you don't know then you die!"

Kagome was punched in the stomach twice efficiently getting any fighting chance out of her as she coughed up blood. And feeling her sports bra slashed off of her bleeding her she knew what was to come. After her pants were torn off leaving a long deep slash down her leg she bit through her lip and wouldn't have shouted out in pain. She, unfortunately, was used to it. But her womb couldn't.

Kagome cried out in sheer pain feeling everything, hearing the blood dripping onto the floor. When he finished he kicked her in the stomach causing her to shout again. He pulled up his pants wiping off some blood and walked off.

"Kill her."

Having come too far to die especially in a place she didn't even know where it was Kagome, quickly and painfully dislocated her shoulders over her head still on the ground leaning forward into a roll melting the chain at her ankles and wrist getting out of the way of attacks and knowing in the condition she was in now they would kill her. So she ran.

Yoko hadn't been to Russia in over two hundred years, and when he went he didn't stay long. He was a fox, he was fond of warm weather, though the purpose of his fur was for the cold. He shook his head. Back then he went solely because he hadn't bedded a youkai from the lands before and stayed for a few months to rutt and leave.

'And now I'm trying to find this desolate land with no trace of information to where my mate truly is and call myself a fool for not learning this snow barren land centuries ago.' He turned over his hind leg still running. Nijuu was fine, like him, Zokusai… He thought to him. 'Can you make it.'

Zokusai growled at him. _"Not for much longer. No one trained me how to use my abilities to keep me warm and I haven't figured it out yet. Of brother."_

'He's using his spirit to keep him warm, and as active as he is he's fine.' Yoko growled to the both of them. _"There's a shed of some sort ahead. We'll rest there temporarily."_

Nijuu growled. _"Dad there are people in there."_

_"So then we kill them."_

Yoko led them inside changing into his humanoid form knowing the two were not efficient in non hunting killing in kitsune form. He jumped up into a window ledge, very thick because of the cold followed by his two kits. He looked inside of the large shed.

"Your mother was here." He saw Nijuu look at him. "No one can hear us because of the snow storm."

"But how can you tell? I just see blood and stuff."

Yoko nodded in a direction. "Your mother has very efficient means of killing under most circumstances because she doesn't have energy to spare."

Zokusai spoke. "I'll watch Nijuu."

Nijuu growled at him. _"I'm capable brother."_

Yoko looked for a while longer then jumped down. "You both watch the right side and the moment you walk in make sure no one but us leaves alive."

Kagome had been running for about an hour. But she was leaving a blood trail being covered by the snow, and she was cold. Too much energy was lost, her kits were cold- the kits were cold and she couldn't sense a makai portal or see a human city. Or even find a cave. Not sure what to do she continued, now jogging forcing herself to before she had to go to sleep. After about ten more minutes she smelled oil, and in five more heard the sound of an engine and followed. After twenty more minutes she came into a very small village into the first building she came into sensing them all human and no physics and passed out on the wooden floor.

Nijuu shook himself not liking the blood on him but figured it was a side effect of killing. Zokusai turned from snapping the neck of a person held up by his hands and dropped the human body and turned seeing his father jumping up from a hatch.

"The tunnel didn't lead very far and was a dead end." He looked around. "Did you have a chance to smell for your mother's blood before you fought."

Zokusai growled. "There was too much everywhere."

Yoko noticed Nijuu wondering around. "That's fine. Could you date it."

Zokusai growled more. "No."

Nijuu let out a yelp getting his nose cut on something and held it. "Uhm Dad? This smells like Mom's blood." He waited for his father to come over leaving his brother. He still held his nose. "From about four days nine hours ago right? Something like that."

Yoko put the blood on his fingers rubbing it. "Very accurate Nijuu even in the cold. Can you smell which way she went."

He pointed whining some letting go of his nose. "That way…Uhm I can't tell directions in this heavy of snow but while you two were being all serious earlier I went outside and smelled the gasoline trail." He smiled. "Mom's smart she made a hole in the gas tank so they couldn't chase her for long. But since they were going so fast it was thinned out. I picked it up for a while before it died out." He looked at his dad unsure. "Unless…"

Yoko nodded. "Accurate Nijuu. Change and lead, after you bandage yourself."

Zokusai growled at him. "Accurate nose poor fighting skills."

He stuck his tongue out at his brother ripping the cloth from a dead ningen. "At least I know where Mom might be and so does Dad and you don't!"

Zokusai continued to growl. "Hurry up."

Kagome woke finding herself where she had collapsed. Just inside of the door with it shut. No one had come in. She stood wincing and limped over to the other side of the single room hoping to find gause, clothes. She wasn't naked, just wearing shoes and a very large shirt tied around her at the waist. She was cold, the kits were cold, she wanted more clothing. Making it towards a large chest in the middle of the room after boiling snow with her hand in a pot and cleaning herself with the water she knelt some trying to lift it without agitating her injures-

Kagome let out a loud shout feeling her stomach rip, immediately fell down shouting. After a while the shouting intensified with the pain as she felt pressure through out. She bit through her lip getting herself to shut up and propped herself up against a wall, cried some seeing two blood covered ears in between her legs, focused, and pushed. After about an hour she willed herself not to pass out massive amounts of blood coming from her legs and cleaned the three kits, wrapped them in…Wool sheets she supposed, fed each one, saw herself still bleeding from birthing and tried standing only to pass out.

When she woke again she heard small whines and yips. Her instinct and heart told her to quickly tend to their needs, her lack of blood in her body forced her to do otherwise. She couldn't feel much below her legs but looked down seeing the blood flow still going.

"Like whatever flipping blood this danged body can make I bleed it out…And I'm injured."

Kagome, not having any idea of what to do, ripped some of the shirts in the area trying to seal off her area, put clothes on and fed the kits. Extremely weakened she smiled at them. One was pure black with red eyes even deeper than hers. There was another silver/white one with amber eyes and one ear, this one the right, always turned down like Nijuu, and the third with brown eyes and an equal amount of silver and black through out…She smiled some more. Until she turned him over seeing a large white spot on his furry belly. She stumbled some begging for some food for herself and found human soup, two cans, stored. Figuring the person wouldn't be coming back for some time she ate the soup straight from the can, felt herself about to black out again and let it come.

When she woke up the next time, the kits were whining and yelping for her again, and blood was coming down her legs. She still hadn't stopped bleeding. She changed her bandages after taking care of the kits.

'Meaning I have to find a safe warm place for these three before I just, can't make any more blood to come out of my damned body.'

She picked herself up off of the ground, after what seemed like five minutes, then froze. She sensed someone outside, and smelled blood. Quickly Kagome hid the three back inside of the chest covering them with clothing, not too much so they could breathe, shut it, picked up some blankets covering it with them and opened the door to get away from the kits.

Only to see the entire village of twenty houses being burnt, one by one. Her eyes widened looking up. There was a youkai on top of the house she was in pouring a liquid, with another one holding a match.

Kagome quickly threw an ice ball at the head of the demon holding the box of matches crushing his skull and jumped up on the roof with an ice poll knocking the one with the kerosene off of the roof, jumping down using the poll as a javelin spearing him with it. She found herself in mist of a crowd of about ten demons immediately bending, flipping out of the way and began fighting. There was one in the distance tossing a flame onto a roof of another building from his hand speaking for her to hear.

"Guess you didn't get far enough to hide wench!" He tossed a flame onto the house where she was just in only seeing her tossing a flame at it centered around a hunk of ice collecting it over into a pile of snow. "You're crafty," he saw her getting sliced down. "but you're also dead soon and by seeing your stomach a bit flatter than before, maybe more seeing the pregnant fat gone for most part…" He jumped onto the roof top dropping a flame. "I think I'll make sure to burn anything you would ever dream to bring into this world forbidden bitch."

Kagome was knocked back into a flaming house and scrambled onto her feet blocking with an ice sword and smirked. She really was loosing a lot of blood. The house she was trying to protect was on fire. She was cold. But since she didn't have to be weary of her fire now harming the kits.

Kagome wiped the smirk along with a splotch of blood in her eye from her face. The smirk was from the constant blood loss. Her holding two massive flames in her hand was from near rage. _No one_ dared to harm those kits.

Kagome quickly ducked out of the way of a dagger flipping back ripping her stomach more and incased in fire tossed two small ice spheres at the heads of the two closest to her. She punched one in the face getting slashed across her chest grabbing onto an arm freezing it knocking him down shattering the arm, tossed an ice ball at the head of the demon on the roof only to see dogging it and made a massive boomerang out of fire throwing it spreading flames everywhere-

Her head snapped to attention seeing part of the roof where the kits were falling in. Having no time to spare she quickly jumped up with an ice sword slashing through on kicking another back throwing it into a third, ran up to one slashing at his neck and turned around creating ice balls incased in fire on the ground kicking them off pumling the rest. The one from the roof, though…

Kagome growled. She couldn't look for him now, go after. She ran inside reaching up stopping a beam from falling on her and ran quickly opening the chest, picking up the three kits yipping as loudly as they could, which wasn't loud at all, and ran. She had no idea of where she was going, just prayed that there was a shed at the end of the village they hadn't burnt-

Kagome briefly closed her eyes in victory seeing an outhouse far out from the house in front of it. The fires couldn't reach it. She went inside hoping the fire youkai from before couldn't find her or hear the kits, curled up around them and closed her eyes.

Yoko had sensed Kagome fighting some time ago and couldn't run any faster. He had no qualms about leaving his kits, but could not. The cold was starting, almost, to affect him and his hind legs were getting cold. Zokusai already lagged far behind and Nijuu was in between them. He was far from stopping, nothing could get him to stop. But he was slowing down. Through the snow he smelled smoke in the distance and growled. They were getting closer.

_"Zokusai."_

Zokusai was extremely cold, but too determined. He didn't like it when people messed with his mother.

_"Father."_

_"There will be a fire demon going past to your right in about two minutes in a vehicle of some sort. Kill him and stay in the vehicle for warmth until you can catch up."_

Yoko ran on seeing the jeep going past him and heard a shout and a growl a few moments later. Continuing on knowing Zokusai would be fine his dead run came to a halt.

He entered a village with about twenty houses, burning, with the only thing he could smell burning blood and fire, smoke. He couldn't feel Kagome, he could only hear the fire crackling, falling wood. He trotted to the middle of the village and growled loudly.

_"Do not go into the houses Nijuu-"_

_"-But Mom-"_

_"-if a log falls onto your back and snaps your spine you are dead, do not."_

_"But what if Mom's in one of these?"_

_Yoko growled to himself. "Just wait-"_

Yoko's ears perked up and glued to it. He ran in the direction towards one of the houses burnt earlier and saw two sheds in the back clear from fire and heard it much clearer and far more worried, if possible, than before as he headed for the out house. He opened the door with one of his tails and whined.

Kagome was curled up, bleeding too much, around three small whining bundles. He barked for Nijuu as he picked up Kagome in his teeth.

_"Pick up your brothers and follow me."_

Nijuu almost dropped the three small bundles the first _and_ second time but soon was following his father having no idea of where they were going. Staying in the burning village would be warm, but someone would come back. And there wasn't a-

Yoko turned hearing Zokusai barking at them in the distance and ran up to him, then followed him 'jogging' going as fast as possible.

_"The fire youkai said there was a makai portal about five minutes drive in this direction, with a masking spell on it."_

Yoko followed Zokusai, looking down at his mate in his mouth. 'Why do I still taste fetus blood from her. These kits are at least three days.'

Not able to do anything about it now he followed his son ever slowing down until he sniffed out the portal and went in. Zokusai growled on the other side, looking ever the same as Makai, slightly cool. He followed his father for five minutes or so into a cave that looked very small until he pushed a statue with his tail back a certain distance then forward again and a stone slab slid open. He let Kagome down and spoke walking off on two feet.

"Take care of your brothers."

Nijuu whined some. _"Uhmm…"_

_Zokusai growled at him. "Dolt…We're not supposed to be in here at all let's go."_

Yoko knelt in front of a still well kept garden of makai plants picking a number quickly returning to his mate. After cleaning her off he took care of a horrifically healed wound across her back and growled smelling old semen on her _not_ his. He then noticed in between her legs and removed the cloths finding a constant flow of blood.

'She birthed injured and couldn't take care of herself. But this…'

Yoko took care of the rest of her wounds then went back. He had no idea of what to do, what caused it. Meaning he would have to ask someone…

Nijuu let the two boys, the silver and black one, play with his tail as he sat seeing Zokusai feeding the black and silver girl water. "How long are we supposed to wait here. And is Mom okay? When can we go back to Japan?"

Zokusai wanted to hit him but was exhusted. "Ask father since he's approaching."

Yoko entered seeing the two boys, yipping trying to get to Nijuu's tail, and the girl, hungry, drinking water.

"Zokusai go to Ningenkai and bring Shuichi here to the den I showed you in Hakodate now. We'll be there when you bring him there." Zokusai nodded, changed back and went off running. Yoko sighed. Nijuu was just playing with the kits. "Pick up all there again we're moving."

Nijuu looked up at him. "Is Mom okay?"

Yoko growled at him. "Do as you're told."

Zokusai stopped to sleep for one night. He knew there was _no _way his father expected for him to make it all the way from Vladivostok to _Osaka_ from going through that fighting and the cold with no sleep. When he did make it to Osaka he wondered if he should call him or just hunt for him.

'But in seeing as how the ears and the tail thing don't blend in I can't really use a pay phone. There are lights all over this city.'

Zokusai went to his condo not sensing him there, then to his work. He smirked thinking of something his father had said to the mainly ningen when he was younger thinking he wouldn't remember and know what it meant later.

'Probably does spend more time with his hand then his girlfriend.'

Shuichi turned to the window thinking he felt something wearing jeans and a company polo in his office going over documents. He looked up again and raised a brow as he stood opening the window.

"Zokusai, what seems to be the problem."

Zokusai looked at him. "My father sent me to collect you at once." He spoke still in the window sill. "Take a plane to Sapporo since hakodate doesn't have an airport and make your way to that city. When you're there go to Makai and I'll be there waiting. Quickly."

Shuichi saw Zokusai head out of the window jumping across roof tops and sighed as he closed the window heading towards the elevator. He didn't have a fox in him any longer but that fox _still_ controlled his life if he wanted to.

'he didn't tell his son to add the threat that he could still invade my mind if he chose to and was near enough, at _very_ inopportune times.'

Zokusai waited at the only portal he knew Shuichi knew of in hakodate, because his father had told him, and after about twenty minutes of waiting saw him emerge from the portal, growled and started running. If he thought he was slow in this form.

'Stupid ningen hasn't run in so long he's this slow? Much faith father.'

Shuich ran almost as fast as he could. Since running back to Japan through Makai from finding Kagome he had made it a habit, along with a threat from Yoko, to start training again. He had been very out of shape. And he was fine now.

'But if Zokusai believes that I am slow… I suppose I am without Yoko in me, but I am mainly human. He told me about a fourth to half of me wasn't, but still. I can't keep up with a full youkai, especially as trained as Zokusai is.'

Yoko looked up next to his mate praying she didn't wake up now. He could sense Shuichi and Zokusai. And he knew, still, that she really didn't like the ningen and would not be well waking seeing him. As Shuichi ran into the cave where Yoko was with Kagome yoko spoke.

"When we return you will start training how _I feel fit_ is this understood."

'Arrogant kitsune.'

_'I can hear you Shuichi.'_

He sighed. "Fine, yes. What happened to her."

Yoko growled. "She birthed injured and won't stop bleeding from it."

Shuichi looked her over not touching. "May I?"

Shuichi heard him growl and continued. "One of her umbically chords is probably inside of her still and wrapped around her F tube causing her to bleed. It's a common thing with non hospital birthing." He moved her legs apart, looked around the room and rested his eyes for a few seconds on the plants he needed having Yoko bring them to him. He grew one into a hook and inserted it inside of her. "When did she birth."

Yoko growled. "Maybe ten days ago."

Shuichi pulled out two chords sticking the leave back inside of her making one edge sharp and cutting them both off. More blood came out. He took the hook leaf taking a small plant turning it back into a seed sticking it inside of her.

"Without surgery only burning the rip close will work. The plant will dissolve with little time." He saw the blood flow tinkle out, and minutes later come to a halt. "There, that should do it."

Yoko looked at his mate, out, eerily pale. "And about her persistent blood loss."

Shuichi nodded. "Just time and rest. But she'll be fine."

"Maybe I am glad you can't keep a girlfriend from as much time you spend with books."

Shuichi sighed. "Thanks, I think."

"Go train with Zokusai."

Shuichi gave him a look. "You're joking, correct."

"I'm not in a joking mood, train now."

Kagome opened her eyes and would have cursed, if not for a kit suckling at her tit. She gave her version of a growl and spoke after Yoko removed the kit from her and dropped the only living one onto a pile of furs to sleep. She sat up knowing Yoko would have to force her down to keep her there and stood.

"You've been gone for about forty days, we found you thirteen days ago and you've been out at least since then."

Kagome stood not caring, she was-

She growled at herself. She did _not _need to start thinking like that _ever _again. She took in a breath, closed her eyes, looked down at the none existent flap from pregnancy, knew all three were alive. Training now would only draw attention to them, and further injure her. She closed her eyes briefly again, sat down against a wall _away_ from Yoko, and looked ahead.

Yoko looked at her for a while. He knew what Sesshomaru had told her.

"You don't-"

Kagome stood walking off without a word. 'He'd have to leave his kits to go after me, and he knows I'm not going to _run off_ with this obvious of a trail. Seeing me leaving. I'll be back.'

Yoko wanted to do something for her. 'Don't hate yourself Kagome.'

Kagome stared at the demon bird at her feet. That she had beaten to death. There wasn't much meat left, just bones, blood. She wasn't really hungry. She knew that was a bad thing, but didn't really care right about now.

She also knew Zokusai was trailing her making himself known on purpose, and that _really_ wasn't helping. She didn't want help. She wanted to be left alone.

'But there's no way that Sesshomaru does not know of this and every hour that I spend here.' She looked down. 'I don't even have to think about it. That, and I'm a damn beacon. Might as well shoot them in the head and put them on a platter then continue to walk around with neon lights above my head.' She created a small ice sphere in her hand. 'All because of this thing. And some stupid demons that can't even sense it in me. Which is a good thing, but still, stupid on their behalf's…Yoko probably thinks I'm thinking about going to Sesshomaru now, not…Just leaving. And if I even interpret his words as only them and not anyone after this' Kagome, pist, crushed the ice sphere in her hand causing herself to bleed, which didn't hurt at all. 'stupid jewel…'

Zokusai looked at his mother from a tree in the near distance. He made sure she knew where he was, for her own sake. And he would have thought a world of emotions to go across her face, even body motion.

'But even when she crushed that ice, I didn't even see her muscles move. So much control…'

Kagome growled. 'Now…'

Zokusai flipped down from a tree in front of her. "Why are you angry Mom."

'A lot like Sesshomaru.' "I got my ass beat down and almost let his kits die from it."

"You couldn't of changed it Mom. How'd you get your emotions refined?"

Kagome still looked down. "When I thought I was ningen I always had a smile and never even let my suposent mother see anything else. Even then people were bastards and since I was weaker than the grass you're standing on then I couldn't do anything about it. When I found out I was youkai…The first time I took a step as a youkai a bird that I thought was from ningenkai came and clawed at my face. And I was at my shrine. And I was scared of the thing, that hated me for the fucked up blood running through my veins. I showed fear. I was petrified that what I was told was true and that the whole damned shit filled world hated me. And that damned bird kept flying past sensing loads of fear towards me.

And my weak ignorant ass ran straight into Makai, got attacked, fought, ran again scared and stupid, fought, and went to sleep scared reeking of it and woke up with a spear in my chest. And I learned why. And I have _never_ let fear shown on my face, in my posture, any way ever since. I rarely even say if I am scared or not because I'm either not or I'm unconcusious. And when I am you don't know. Emotions ruin you Zokusai. Sesshomaru dono knows that first hand he's a master of them rarely let them out."

Zokusai looked at her. "Mom don't you want to be happy."

"Happy and forbidden don't mix, I tried, I got beaten down raped and spat upon the second time. The first time I thought I was happy I almost threw up all the blood in this accursed body."

"But Mom you're-"

Kagome continued in the same calm tone. "-Zokusai do not call me that."

Zokusai didn't know what to say. "Mom I know- I know Mom that you want to protect me and everyone in that cave right now because you do care and love us and you occasionally do smile when you're around us. But not everyone hates you, we don't…We, just want you to stay."

"I don't care if you want that, I do what I have to."

Zokusai looked at her still. "I do love you Mom, and I know you'll never say it to me, but your actions show that you love me, us more than anyone just saying it…And I really do want you to stay. Nijuu and his annoying ways do as well. He's the one who never thought you were dead, wouldn't even go to your grave site because it was a waste of time, you weren't dead to him, just somewhere else. But I don't want you to be alive and dead. I don't care if Sesshomaru owns you now or whatever since he brought you back to life. I'll fight him and die for you if need be and I know Nijuu and Father will do the same. You're no one's slave regardless of what they say and yeah, because of him I can say this with almost no emotion."

"Should work on that."

"Why I want you here Mom, because I can out run you and force you to stay. Father may have given you space but I'd run."

Kagome looked up at him. 'And you have no idea of how much I don't want to run.' "And I can easily force you here."

Zokusai felt bad but tried not to let it show. "Mom- Mom just stay. I don't know how you were taken, but Dad can protect you."

Kagome looked at him, noticed the dew on his feet from the morning. She was weak.

'I can't even run from a kit.'

Kagome sat down where she stood, the lower youkai in the area would leave her alone. The low B class Zokusai was registered higher to them and would wait in killing her. Zokusai walked over to her sitting in front of her.

"Is Sesshomaru going to come here."

"He'll send someone after a while."

Zokusai still looked at her. "Why'd you stay? You really could have forced your way through me."

Kagome looked down still. "Because I'm weak, and I do want to be not miserable, even if it is extremely short lived…"

Yoko looked through the trees seeing his mate next to his only son with working intelligence. He had gotten through to her. She wasn't going to run off, but she wasn't going to fight when Sesshomaru sent someone after her. He would fight them, it, her, him, but she wouldn't. He let them to the tiny clearing themselves and went to the cave where his daughter was, the only one who survived.

'Emotions aren't a weakness Kagome.'

Nijuu leaped around Shuichi. "Boy that was fun how about fifteen out of sixteen? You might win this time huh huh?"

Shuichi sat against a wall in the cave exgusted. "Nijuu, it is impossible for me to defeat you in a spar. Aside that you're full demon and I'm far from it you _never_ tire."

Nijuu knelt in font of him. "Nu uh that's not true Shuichi when we were in the snow a while ago I was sleepy. And when Dad trains me I get a little tired."

Shuichi sighed. 'Take off work for an undisclosed amount of time for this?' "Nijuu, why don't we meditate for a while."

Nijuu sat legs crossed. "Okay sounds great!"

Kagome had avoided Yoko as much as possible since. She wasn't sure why, but she just didn't want to be around him. And she knew it hurt him, she could give him a reason.

That she saw him as her biggest weakness and was sick of being weak. She could protect that weakness but why bother when she could dispatch it all together and leave, be rid of him. Love was weak, not a strength, it only hurt and she didn't want a part in it any further.

She had achieved a well status of lying to herself since she was 'ningen'. She didn't know how much of that was true, if any of it was true, if it was all true. She walked through out the caves having avoided him for about four days now. She knew without a doubt she loved him, and that she hated herself no matter what he did, it didn't last. After awhile everyone telling her she was hated she didn't have to believe it, she didn't. Just hated herself…

Kagome sighed not wanting to talk, not liking to, and figured she would go feed Katsumi. She could sense when Yoko left the den just for her to do that. He didn't want to kill his daughter, because she might be so head strong to let her not feed just not to see him. She came into the den, knelt, let the small girl feed and laid her back down and stared at her for a while hearing her yip at her. Yoko could understand her because she his daughter.

'Might as well be a whore.'

A stupid one at that that kept getting knocked up. Because she was weak. She created the usual ice dagger in her hand and stared at it. She _had_ to do this. Not doing so…She'd probably burn alive. She was accustomed to pain, but at that level she wouldn't get a chance to be used to it.

Kagome looked down feeling a slow rising pain, but before her eyes met it sucked in air. She looked down on her arm seeing the ice dagger going through her forearm. She pulled it out absorbing the ice seeing the blood pouring out, ripped her shirt and made a bandage. She felt a tear rise to her eye, it wasn't from the pain in her arm. But she didn't want to cry in front of Katsumi, where the twins could hear, smell. She stood. She didn't want Katsumi to get used to seeing her. She walked off to a different area in the caves. She sat down, curled up, and cried just like Katsumi was.

Yoko stood holding his daughter settling her just from his presence. He could hear Kagome through the caves. He knew no one else could and almost thought she thought he couldn't hear. He set his daughter down and walked off. He didn't care any longer if she avoided him and ignored him and left when she spoke to her. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

Kagome continued crying not even sure why any longer if she knew in the first place. Suddenly she looked up through blurry eyes seeing Yoko at the entrance to the cave she was in standing there, sad. And she wiped her eyes getting up to her feet and about turned to leave-

"-Kagome why are you running away from me?"

Kagome turned to him tears streaming down her face. "I thought you hated me."

Yoko whined some. That was one thing he was not expecting at all.

"Kagome out of all of the years that I have known you to exist I have-"

Kagome looked at him biting her lip, turned and ran off. "-I'm sorry-"

Yoko easily caught up to her within seconds gently restraining her. "I have never hated you love. Why would you even think-"

"-because the last thing, and you, you said it wasn't bad to be happy then I woke up and the two kits your two kits died because I can't even protect them long enough to disown them and I didn't even know I was just tired and wanted the one off and you were just, and then I left because-"

Yoko continued to hold her crying into his chest extremely irrational.   
"-Kagome. I wasn't mad at you then or now but I am glad that you told me what you've been thinking." He looked down at her crying. 'I had never seen her cry before. Maybe one tear…G this tears at my soul, hers. It's the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life.' "And I do want you to be happy love truly. And you do have emotions, and it's okay to use them. You're far from weak because you're not weak. I love you, you're strong, determined, beautiful."

After about an hour Kagome had cried herself to sleep in Yoko's hold. Knowing she hadn't eaten properly since before, he chewed some food, put it in her mouth then rubbed her throat. He spoke to her when she woke a few hours later, still in his embrace.

"What happened to your left arm."

"I was just doing some normal stuff and was, thinking and I went too far. Didn't even notice until later."

Yoko was worried. "I'll take care of it-"

"-Yoko I'm scared."

Yoko looked down at her. He hadn't even heard her say the word before.

"I'm scared, I'm tired…I don't want to do this anymore."

"Do what."

"Running away, fighting, having Sesshomaru dono own me, getting beaten, being hated. And I know there's nothing you can do about it regardless of what you've told Zokusai and me, that it really was a nice lie…I'm screwed."

Yoko still looked at her. "My status might not be enough to ward them off and protect you, especially in seeing as how I'm dead now, not all of them. But regardless. I will fight anyone who I suspect tries to lay a hand against you. You are my mate. Don't ever forget that." He nuzzled her hair, also calming his nerves some. "thank you for telling me."

"Apologize that I'm a wreck."

He smiled at her. "Perfectly fine, infact." He lifted her up towards him. "It's good to get it out of you, you're not perfect and you shouldn't have to be. Emotions give you strength."

Kagome looked at him then down. "Okay."

"Who took you from that far inside of the cave."

Kagome still looked down. "I don't know. I was walking around, felt something odd, smelled a female and I open my eyes to have snow on my face. She was already inside before you left though."

Yoko still nuzzled her head. 'Usually only dogs, foxes, wolves and the sort react to this, she really is calmed down.' "Why can't they sense the shikkon in you. Why can't anyone."

"When it's inside of me no one can, not even a miko. It being inside something already not stable and opposite of it, demon, counters it. And if someone some how can sense it, they'll only sense me. The demon spirts in it are restless, and my soul is in it. They'll just confuse them both for me."

"Then all that has-"

Nijuu ran inside where they were with a massive cut across the back of his legs. "-There's a coyote pack outside of the cave! Zokusai and Shuichi are trying to fight them-" he ran along side of his father. "-but there are many and most are more powerful than them!"

Yoko emerged from the cave seeing the pack of coyotes and instantly, even in their true form, recognized one. From the jagged scar across his left front leg encompassing it almost entirely. It was from when he had come back from India about three hundred years ago and went back to one of his meeting spots with Kurone to see him already in a mass of trouble. This coyote was younger then but the only one to have survived their assault running/limping off.

'He's commanded under Sesshomaru now.'

Yoko quickly strengthened the grass blades Shuichi had grown out around four of the pack of eleven holding them down as he ran past with a wooden sword, sharpened on all sides, slicing off their heads. In seeing this three of the coyotes turned into their humanoid forms jumping back. The one with the scar spoke snarling at Yoko in front of his two sons and Shuichi.

"Kitsune thief. You know why we are here her master commands for her return _now_."

Yoko glared at the coyote. "You will die for trying to force _anything_ upon _my _mate."

Zokusai growled, Shuichi thought. 'Yoko there's something in the forest. Your son's haven't noticed it and I can't scent anything this far away.'

_'Run back with Nijuu and get my mate and Katsumi out of the den.'_

Shuichi nodded and started running. "Nijuu."

Nijuu turned licking some blood off of his mouth, not of his own, to see Shuichi running back towards the cave with a lesser rose whip in hand. He didn't remember what he could create when he was apart of his father, but knew it shriveled in comparison. He let out a small growl kicking a coyote back and ran off after Shuichi.

"What are we doing?"

Shuichi grew up some grass blades from behind him slowing the coyotes some. It was odd. Unless Yoko was in control of his body he had more abilities with plants now than before, just less power to them.

'And I had thought Yoko trained me in his mind incredibly strictly. Zokusai is nearing to be the task master Sesshomaru can be.' "You're going to guard the entrance to the cave while I bring out your mother and sister."

Nijuu turned around with a small goofy smile on his face seeing two coyotes running at him, snarling. "Will do Shu-"

Shuichi's eyes widened and immediately stopped. A massive rock creature that no one had sensed emerged from the top of the hillside/mountain basically standing up and with one fluid motion stomped down with one foot.

And the cave collapsed.

Yoko turned briefly slashing an upright coyote with his sword seeing the cave no more than a pile of rubble. Not having time to think on it he continued fighting. His spirit would have told him if his mate were harmed. Either she wasn't in there or she was and was safe.

'But if that gravel demon wanted Kagome dead and Sesshomaru clearly does not…' Yoko's eyes widened growling knowing they all, but the coyotes Kagome, wherever she was, could understand him. _"These aren't with Sesshomaru they're after the shikkon."_

Kagome watched as Nijuu, injured, and Yoko ran out of the cave… Nijuu, injured…

'Sesshomaru wouldn't send someone to injure him and let him warn us that he's coming. He's too efficient, even the people under him have to be.' She stood going after Yoko's daughter. 'Meaning they're here for me to bring them to the Tama, and _not_ the same group when I was in that snow barren place. But they are working for the same two demons.'

Kagome knelt down picking up the snoozing Katsumi wrapping her in the silk kimono quickly heading out of the cave. The coyote demons hadn't noticed her, nor had Yoko, the twins or Shuichi. Glad she wasn't found she continued around the back of the mountain/hillside not sure where she was going. The forest gave off bad vibes and running out into makai, with an infant, who she was, from a battle area, would be the dumbest thing she could think of to do right now. But before she could get a chance to think about it a tingle went down her back and looked up seeing some rocks moving about on the top of the hillside. Confused her eyes widened seeing some rocks tumbling down at her as the entire thing caved in.

She ran getting out of the way of the falling rocks and soon decided to try her luck into the forest. She ran ahead hearing the fighting draw nearer to her location and looked around as she entered the extensive forest and immediately knew what was out of place.

There wasn't a single lesser youkai or animal in it. Continuing she came across a small creek and almost paused in shock even knowing something was wrong with it. The fish in it were dead, floating up top. Nothing was alive in the forest, save Katsumi, herself, and the massive creature that had just stepped in front of her causing her to halt her run.

The youkai was a bit smaller than an inu in his true form, was pure white with ears pointed back and a tail down. And blood on it's mouth. He looked at her intently noticing her tense and morphed back into his humanoid form. The wolf walked towards Kagome causing her to counter step every move he made.

"Cute kit you got there. Impressive some kitsune enslaved you to be his wet nurse for his own offspring." He continued, now trying to circle her. "Tell me where the shikkon no tama is and I'll kill you quickly."

Kagome keep her eyes on him. She had never seen a white wolf in her life, but she had remembered what Kogua had told her. There was a reason she hadn't. They were too bloodthirsty and the other wolves ousted them from their packs when then tried to turn on them. And it lost a lot of lives, because they were powerful, _very_ powerful.

"I don't know."

The wolf chuckled some. "Fire and ice bitch you can not lie to me. I'll ask you again, where is the shikkon no tama and I'll kill you quickly." He continued and spoke again with the silence. "Perhaps you have gone ignorant from your many beatings in life so I will reword it for you. I can tell that the shikkon no tama is in your body some where because it's the only place it could ever be and I am assured of it so tell me where it is in you now for a quick death or I will shred you into pieces wench."

Kagome couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not, but it didn't matter right now. She saw the predatory look in his eyes and set Katsumi down on the ground against a tree standing in front of her. There was no way a white wolf this old was anything but an S class. It gleamed in his eyes as he stalked her-

"Run."

Instead Kagome raised her hands up creating an ice barrier that quickly shattered and grabbed the wolf's arm pushing him aside and with her other arm bending back grabbing at his belly only to be kneed in the back, picked up by both arms and tossed into a tree. She coughed a bit getting up as he spoke.

"Feisty." He pinned her to the tree with both of his clawed hands through her shoulders deeply. "Tell me where it is in you at least so I don't break it-"

Kagome head butted the white wolf pushing off against him with her feet getting his claws out of her shoulders, tossed a flame at him and was about to form an ice bow when she noticed the red gleaming in his eyes. She tried throwing an ice ball at him only to have it repelled from his aurora, grabbed her by the head throwing her into another tree eyes still red. Kagome picked up Katsumi, watching quietly with intent eyes and ran as a shadow continued to grow over her steps.

Yoko didn't like it. He didn't know where his mate was, the coyotes were playing with them…And what was the involvement with the gravel demon? They were never active with anyone else's affairs, even of their own species. They didn't do much of anything.

He also didn't like that his mate wasn't having any fear or pain whatsoever. If she was trapped in the cave and knocked unconscious she would have felt it. If she was pained from attacks he would have felt it. But nothing-

Nijuu growled jumping past him in the air flipping a humanoid coyote over him to the ground. _"Dad I sense that thing in the forest again real brief. No clue what it is though."_

Yoko didn't like _that_ at all. He turned flicking his rose whip across the chest of the humanoid coyote facing Shuichi then back to his fight.

_"What does it feel like."_

_"Uhhh…"_

Yoko growled loudly at him as he slashed across one of the coyotes effectively slitting its throat. _"Do not play around as such tell me now."_

Nijuu jumped over another coyote pouncing on another, he'd come down from jumping, since he could jump faster than them, and figure out how to kill one, eventually. _"What do you mean? I can't tell, from it's aurora or whatever I feel…Strength, a rush…Sorta like how I felt when I first tried hunting and knew I could do it-"_

Yoko growled displeased. After all of these years teaching the kit he still couldn't feel out a spirit as he should. Though he supposed he was still a young kit and would have time to learn.

If he was still alive.

But Yoko wasn't going to get anywhere with him. He didn't know how he could feel it and not himself, perhaps for his worry for his mate.

'Give me a sign Kagome.'

Kagome ran. She couldn't hide, she couldn't stop, she didn't want to die. And the look in his eye just before he was about to transform, was nothing short of that of a hunter. He wanted to eat her and went after the chase. Which is why she didn't run in the first place when he had spoken. It would cause this-

'I want to live. I want Katsumi to leave more than I want myself to live but I want Yoko to live-' She ran getting a cut across her check from a dangling branch. 'I can't do this on my own but Yoko said he wasn't S class yet because he doesn't have his ninth tail, because he can tell. And I don't want him to die and if I'm scared or I let out pain he'll be able to tell-'

Kagome jumped over a tree splinter from the massive wolf running behind her. She was a fool to think she had a chance at outrunning him. But she couldn't just put Katsumi down and fight. Going with the risk she whispered something to his daughter wrapping the silk over her, jumped up into a tree kicking off of it causing leaves to fall to the bottom and with a spare arm created a sheet of ice sharp as a blade flinging it across at the face of the massive wolf. Who opened his mouth crushing it. Kagome kicked off of another tree trying to toss a flame at his face landing in front of the tree from before and quickly placed the kit on the pile of leaves in the hole in the tree closing it off with thick ice and jumped aside as a set of paws landed at the base of the tree.

Kagome dove under the wolf setting fire to his underbelly with one hand and with the other created an ice boomerang and cut into his belly. The wolf let out a small growl of pain and before she could even get half way to his belly felt his tail that was far too powerful to block in any sort of way swat her from under him and straight into his mouth.

She opened her mouth in a silent scream as a single massive fang went into her through her calf gushing blood over his ivory fangs. She growled not about to give up when she felt the wolf start running. She tried burning his mouth getting no response and before she could try freezing his tongue noticed the wolf stop and quickly lower itself to the ground. By time she managed to rip her thigh turning around she knew why all the fish in the creek had died.

Yoko saw Zokusai and Shuichi manage to take out another humanoid coyote leaving three left. It wouldn't be difficult, yet he had a horrible feeling to himself and wanted to know where it was coming from. His mate, yes, but where was she.

_"Zokusai go into the forest."_

Zokusai punched a coyote towards his father and ran off. But after a minute his mind still wasn't at ease. He was slashed across his arm dogging from his throat and skidded on the ground from a kick when he pulled his hands up from the ground. Pain, from dirt and grass… Dirt and grass that was dying in a path from the forest, almost as if in a stream of-

'It's acid.'

Yoko was punched back and before he could do anything else his ears hooked onto the sound of a scream, slashed at the coyote in front of him and went into his kitsune form and took off running.

Kagome had never felt so much pain at once in her life as the wolf dipped his snout into the creek that had more acid in it then water. As her very flesh was being burnt away. And he knew _exactly_ how much to put her in without causing her to black out. Through her skin, slowly as it made her way to her muscles, in some areas already her bones-

The white wolf let out a growl feeling a pain in his lower hind leg quickly in succession followed by many more. HE quickly got his snout out of the acid creek turning to see a silver fox leaving a deep bite mark in his leg with already at least ten sets of claw marks in his hind leg as vines, grass blades, trees grew out quickly taking him down. He growled more with the forbidden one in his mouth still screaming as he felt himself forced down to the ground, with even a stream of manipulated lily pads with acid on them going around his neck. He heard the threat growl the kitsune gave to him, and if a suposent dead spirit fox dared to tell _him_ what to do, he was sadly mistaken.

Yoko had run into his real form as quickly as possible upon hearing the scream from his mate. Of pure unadulterated pain to the types he was sure not even she had barred before. It was the fastest he had ever run in his life. But when he saw what the white wolf was doing to her…

Yoko snapped out of it once he realized the white wolf was on the ground almost ready to break free from all of his holding on him. He had gone into a rage. Pausing for only a moment to clear the red from his eyes he began to grow more onto him as he slashed into his sides. There was no way he had enough energy now as _his mate still screamed in pain_ to infuse a death plant of any sort into him, he wouldn't even if he hadn't come from battle. The S class just had more energy, was bigger than he was. The grass blades weren't sharp enough to pierce his skin manipulated trees didn't pierce his flesh and energy either and his claws weren't doing the job fast enough-

Yoko quickly jumped back seeing the white wolf suddenly let out a bark/growl as he broke through all of the restraints with reminiscent still over his body. He saw a tinge of red filter out of his eyes as the blood of his mate pooled down his mouth with her missing flesh as well. And some cursed way she was still conscious, thriving in pain.

As his ears picked up something coming towards him he jumped ahead missing a paw swiped at him as he slashed with his own paws before he was knocked into the ground letting out a small yelp feeling the acid beginning to form onto his paws-

As a black fox jumping onto the back of the white wolf fangs encased with fire as well as paws ripping, burning into his flesh. The white wolf let out a howl quickly rolling onto his back freeing Yoko causing Zokusai to jump off to the side. He landed on the ground seeing the eyes of the most powerful predator in the area locked on him, acid creek behind him, and lunged at him only to find him stopped. The wolf crashed to the ground with a slew of vines around his tail keeping him temporarily stilled. Time for the black kitsune to run under the wolf jumping up latching onto his exposed underbelly with fire paws and a mouth of fire. When he heard the vines snap, the ones around the legs never standing a chance in the first place, he immediately unlatched himself about to push off when a paw hit him aside with another coming down onto him oozing with acid knocking him straight down pinned to the floor.

Yoko got up to his paws batted through a tree hearing a loud yelp followed by a string of loud whines. Determined he tried growing out the vines again to still the massive white wolf long enough to attack it, and back off lest his tail force the same thing that happened to his son _still_ whining in pure pain. He restrained the tail and one front paw and quickly changed focus and jumped up tearing with his fangs at the base of the tail growing vines that ripped at his belly. He soon was thrown off of the wolf knocked into a tree with only a growl from himself when his worry increased even more.

Kagome wasn't shouting any longer or trying to struggle. He couldn't feel her pain any longer-

Not even going to think that he avoided the tail and the paws only to see another silver kitsune dart under the massive white wolf and with preciseness he didn't know he possessed bit into the belly through everything. And with something in his mouth jumped down and ran with it until it snapped. The white wolf let out a yelp having some of its insides ripped out and saw the blood quickly oozing out of his body beneath him.

Shuichi jumped across as best as a mixed blood kitsune could catching Kagome when the white wolf yelped dropping her from his fang vice grip. He hissed in pain feeling the acid trying to attack his skin-

Shuichi stopped mid air immediately landing when he noticed it. "G no."

Yoko growled. The white wolf would die, but with time that he didn't have. He had also slowed down some, but by far _not_ enough. He jumped up biting at the base of his tail preventing it from batting Nijuu from underneath the white wolf effectively finding any organ, biting it and running with it. When he finally fell down onto his side Yoko latched his fangs onto one side of his neck and Nijuu once again on the underside of his neck until enough veins busted and the smell of death continued through out the area- Yoko whined loudly. He hadn't noticed until the white wolf was dead…

Shuichi heard a sad howl and knew what it meant even if he didn't understand it, though he did. He turned seeing Nijuu still in kitsune form looking as if he was permanently stained blood red sitting next to his brother, injured from the coyotes, with one large acid eaten out hole in his body that even went through the ground. And he turned back to see Kagome…

Shuichi almost had to turn away. Most of her skin had been eaten away and on the side that wasn't in his mouth, the bone was exposed, and in most places had begun if not already eaten through. He should have noticed the smell of death from her earlier and wondered how Yoko didn't notice until just now, but he was probably enraged or fighting it. It didn't matter now-

Shuichi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as if someone with power were approaching. With more power than the now slain white wolf. He could sense all of the white wolf, but this…

Suddenly the dead bodies of the coyotes in the distance and the white wolf, Zokusai and Kagome had been cleaned as well as the blood on the land. And soon their bodies were healed with a stroke of magic that flooded the land. Yoko walked over to the body of his mate finding himself healed as well and sat again next to her keeping his head down.

A youkai wearing white traditional pants and top with black armor and a yellow sash walked through the forest stopping next to Kagome's body, just as a flood of magic encompassed the area. Kagome opened her eyes with a gasp of air only to be picked up and pinned against a tree.

"You will do well to do as you are told if there is a next time or I _will_ find a more painful way for you to die than the last two times." He pulled his claws out of her neck and walked off. "Come-"

Yoko growling at the demon the entire time not caring if he didn't stand a chance now, morphed back into humanoid form stepping in front of him. "Sesshomaru you have no right-"

Sesshomaru slammed him into a tree speaking with deadly precision letting some of his poison from his claws begin to form at his claws. "-Kit I brought this wrench life and I can take it away how I chose when I chose and how often I deem fit and if you chose to continue to prohibit the wrench from doing as commanded then you will only suffer to watch her die in more painful ways time after time." He threw him down. "I own her."

Yoko got up to his feet seeing Kagome, whole once again but without energy and exgusted, walking behind Sesshomaru, like a slave. He'd figure out a way to kill that dog, learn how to protect his mate and _never_ fail her again.

Nijuu had jumped into a creek from a forest no where near the one they were just in. He wasn't a fan of being dirty and especially not covered in blood. He saw the coyotes and the white wolf leaving in the distance and figured once again they were with Sesshomaru. He wondered how Zokusai had survived his training sessions… Did Sesshomaru kill him and bring him back to life? Just the thought was enough to make him sad. Once his fur was sufficiently clean he morphed into his humanoid form and washed as well. He went back to where his brother and father were and smiled at the only person there.

"Shuichi my sister is in the forest close I'm going to go get her then we go back okay?"

Shuichi looked ahead. "You and I need to tell your father to tell Yusuke."

Nijuu trotted off speaking fairly sure Shuichi could still hear him. "Why?"

Shuichi looked around at the forest. The trees with weaker spirits didn't come back to life, whole again from being broken.

'I had no idea that Sesshomaru had so much energy, an aurora, and now witnessing this…' "Because once Sesshomaru leaves our company, or shall I saw once he orders us to leave we won't be able to take on all of the demons that we come across. Yusuke is simply more powerful than we are, you are, your father is. He's S class, we are not." He saw the look Nijuu was giving him kneeling next to a massive block of ice. "But look at the causalities. If Sesshomaru had been someone else, we would have all been dead."

Nijuu smiled some. "So does that mean you're gonna come with us for now on? You _did_ say we."

Shuichi didn't even notice it. "I suppose so. Work…hasn't been up to standards as of late and if I do have to show up then I can always go for a few days. Perhaps you'll need a human in your group if the physics come back."

Nijuu smiled. "Good! That means you can still be my training buddy!" HE saw the face Shuichi failed to hide and laughed some. "Great! This is great Shuichi!... But how do you get my sister out of here?"


	4. Chapter 4

Enjoy.

Chapter 4

Kagome didn't know what to think. She had been dead seemingly on too many occasions before. When Inuyasha killed her and her youkai can forth in this time. When Sesshomaru killed her 'to test a theory'. Painful but could have been worse. When she killed herself. When Sesshomaru killed her because she asked not to go along with what he asked. Very painful. When Sesshomaru had the white wolf kill her… Even thinking about it literally caused her pain wherever he had injured her. But she was going to try to think that she was supposed to be happy in her life, Yoko had said so, his children had…Even ningen Shuichi that _still_ annoyed her but was true. This shouldn't be her burden, she should be dead, resting but is alive and shouldn't have to.

She figured if she gorged the jewel out of her body and tried to burn it when she was far away from Sesshomaru, he would sense it, because he probably could already, just some how… Then he would track her down, slay her, his family…Then bring them back to life and do it a few more times. So she was stuck doing whatever he told her to do. She stood inside of one of his massive homes in the countryside away from humans in a room head down looking at the ground as he spoke.

"You have a mate and I respect that, but never once think that he is above me wench is that understood."

"Yes Sesshomaru sama."

He looked at her briefly. "You will do as you are commanded next time this arises." He walked out. "Stay in this room and rest until I tell you otherwise."

Yoko stayed at the bottom of Sesshomaru's house at the entrance along with his two sons and Shuichi holding Katsumi, sound asleep, hungry. He saw Nijuu anx to wonder around after being growled at not to and Zokusai with a very plain expression on his face. After about three hours a youkai wearing white garbs with a blue color and blue sash came from a side room and stood in front of them. He had white hair, pale skin, amber eyes, orange markings on his face and a crescent moon on his forehead.

"The mixed breed and the juvenile kit will follow me now."

Zokusai stood seeing one of Sesshomaru's sons, to the amount, three or more, he had no idea, and waited for about five minutes until Sesshomaru himself came down the stairs standing in front of Yoko. He was taller than his father by a few centimeters.

"You do not understand the true meaning to why you hate kitsune."

"Then tell me."

"This Sesshomaru has to do nothing he does not want to. You are on my lands in my home and you will respect that."

Yoko still looked at him. "Why won't you tell me. I realize _sama_ that you have to do nothing you don't want to but when it comes to my mate-"

"-your mate is something that I own before your mate. She is mine first and you will do well to learn that." It was quiet for a few moments. "Do not come to her until I realize her from the room she is confined to and the kit the mixed breed has will be feed by another. Feel free to come and leave the estate as you please with respect." He turned walking up the stairs again. "Zokusai."

Zokusai wasn't sure what to do. He knew…He didn't know what Sesshomaru was calling him but suspected since the only thing they ever did was train…He went ahead and followed the dog demon without a glance to his father and after a while found himself in what appeared to be a large training room. He looked at Sesshomaru still silent.

"Do you know why you were killed."

Zokusai closed his eyes briefly putting everything else aside, cleared his head and looked at Sesshomaru. "I have only hunted in my kitsune form and have not trained as I should in it. I have never fought a demon of that size."

"Your father has not taught you this."

"He has tried on numerous occasions, I have not caught onto it yet as I should have."

"And of when you were in Russia."

"I have not figured out how to use my fire abilities to warm myself and I slowed greatly and eventually could go no further. As well I was not accustomed to fighting humans. Though easily killed once their stupidity was shown their sparatic ways bothered me."

"For your duration here you will continue to learn to control your emotions that hindered you during battle if a simple human could cause disturbance. As well your father will train you in your true form and I will have your mother with time aid you with your fire abilities." He unsheathed Tokijin and attacked at Zokusai, officially ending their 'talk'. "Is this understood."

Zokusai didn't even think of it now as he quickly avoided everything. "Yes lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome didn't know what to think. She didn't like someone, anyone but herself feeding her offspring, but then again she never claimed them and the less they were around them the better. She could feel it, she could feel Yoko… She sat on the floor meditating still, not working very well if she was thinking all of this, and knelt seeing Sesshomaru entering the room.

"Is your energy stable once again."

"Yes master."

Kagome didn't know what he was doing. She heard something making noise in his hand as he walked but couldn't see it. It was something…Metal. Perhaps chains. But aside of that it was silent in the room. She kept quiet and soon felt pain in her side below her ribs feeling his claws dig deep into her as she bit her lip trying not to shout out keeping it in. After a while she felt something inside of her, his hand removed and Sesshomaru outside of the door.

Nijuu felt a shiver go down his back as he jumped over Shuichi in sparing. He spoke seeing his father enter the dojo they were in.

"Hey Dad did you just feel that?"

Yoko had felt it before it began but had no idea of how out of tune he was being a spirit kitsune. "How can you not tell what you are sensing and at other times have such accuracy."

Nijuu smiled jumping on the rose whip Shuichi had made jumping onto a wall pushing off. "Don't know Dad. I mean I try to do what you've told me to do just don't really know how to. I wanna learn though Dad."

Shuichi stopped once Nijuu kicked him into a wall temporarily tired of playing, or 'sparring' with him. "Has Zokusai returned from wherever Sesshomaru has him."

Yoko had already trained him once a day for the past eleven days and wasn't about to tell them. "No. But your brother won't be fit for traveling if the dog tells us to leave at once." Yoko growled. "Nor will your mother."

Nijuu looked up at his father. "Dad if Sesshomaru can tell we're Mom's kids then why couldn't that white wolf? They're both S class and stuff."

"Sesshomaru has more abilities than we might ever know of and probably had- Has more years to him than the wolf to refine his senses, something else you both need to work on."

Shuichi looked at Yoko. "How do you suppose I do that."

"You smell."

Nijuu smiled. "Dad Shuichi has to tell you something now."

Shuichi sighed seeing Yoko raise a brow. "Thank you, Nijuu." He saw Yoko looking at him. "You should tell Yusuke what is going on. Before I came to your, cave, I was at their house. Yusuke knew that you had left and that you were looking for something or someone. He honestly has no idea that Kagome is still alive. And if he is informed when the time comes he can greatly assist us, even during, in killing the two remaining youkai that are behind this."

"The Toushin will not leave his mate though he would want to fight. HE can not take Souta or Kieko because they can not fight and would hinder us and Kieko would forbid Katsumo and Shio from leaving."

"Most likely true, and I have thought of these thing but at least tell him Yoko. Let him decide for himself. At least do not keep him in the dark." Shuichi saw the look in Yoko's eyes. "Yoko?"

"Then you may go and inform Yusuke. You have three days to return and you will not use any ningen transportation of any sorts."

Shuichi closed his eyes. "All the way to Osaka from the north of the country- I'm leaving."

Nijuu contained his excitement. "Can I trail after him Dad?"

"You will stay here and do well to learn how to use what abilities you have."

Zokusai sat hassling in a corner, tired, wounded, seeing a large white dog transform back into his humanoid state and walk off without a word. One of his sons. Who was younger than his father but more powerful. After taking care of his many injuries and cleaning himself his head snapped to the door sliding closed and briefly closed his eyes.

"What is he doing to you Mom."

Kagome entered wearing a kimono and looking worn, tired, exgusted. And ill. She looked at him briefly and spoke as she knelt drawing a bucket of water.

"What are you confident that you can do with your fire abilities."

Zokusai was fine with himself being broken down and built back up. HE wnted to become stronger, more in control…Regrettably like Sesshomaru. But his mother… She was getting broken down and not built back up. But he couldn't do anything about it. Sesshomaru knew each time the fought now that he aimed to kill him but was far too weak to do so.

"Just to make a simple flame. The rest I can do, sometimes, not always, not efficiently."

Kagome looked at him holding onto the bucket. She walked over to him and gave him the bucket.

"Douse yourself with it." She watched, knowing that Zokusai wouldn't want to being kitsune and especially fire. "Practice on making a flame. You're starting from scratch."

Shio sat on the steps of his parents house, having being corrected numerous times that it wasn't _his_ house until he paid for it, tossing a ball back and forth with his runt of a brother Souta. He smirked thinking to himself.

'If he _ever_ went to Makai he'd be scared and start crying upon seeing blood first on someone. And if somehow he came across a demon on his own the boy wouldn't know what to do…' He made a face. 'He'd be dead. I really need to get my Mom to let him train.'

Souta laughed 'running' after the ball. "Shio what's got you thinkin' so much? I wanna know."

Shio smirked at him. "Nothing runt. When's Mom getting back from work so I can eat and when's Dad coming back from Makai with Katsumo."

Souta smiled holding onto the ball. "I don't know. What does Dad do in Makai? He doesn't work like Mommy does."

'Mommy wants him to get a job but for him to do so, submitting, heck no.' He smiled at him. "Just some things. That's all-"

The boy shouted. "-Shuichi I see you!"

Shio stood on the steps keeping Souta back behind him seeing Shuichi stopping his run in the near distance. When he approached he spoke.

"What's with you? Lost the bike."

Shuichi quickly caught his breath. He was glad he took as many portals as he did, because there was no way he could even make it to Osaka in three days running straight.

"I need to speak to your father Shio, and I know he's in Makai. Do you know when he's coming back?"

Shio was going to milk him for information if his father wasn't going to tell him. "It's about that massive energy he sensed two weeks ago or so."

Shuichi nodded. "Yes."

"Is it urgent."

"You're not going to trick me into telling you what you want." Shio cursed only causing Souta to be wide eyed covering his own mouth. "Now you're in trouble with your mother."

Shio sighed. "Fine fine. You gonna get him or wait?"

Shuichi wouldn't fair well in Makai exgusted. "I'll wait for a few hours then go for him. Could you give me a glass of water please Shio."

Shio spoke from inside knowing he could still hear him. "Your energy has increased from the last I saw you a while ago…What's, going on. And I'm not even trying to cunn you out of it I really wanna know if you're supposed to be ningen or whatever."

"What I have to speak to your father about." He looked up some as Shio gave him the glass. "I sense your brother."

Katsumo walked up from out of the forest seeing Shuichi, felt his energy up from last time, and for him by a lot, and spoke before going further.

"My father isn't coming back for a few days. Did you need for me to get him before he's too far off."

Shuichi nodded. "If it isn't too much of a hassle. Thank you katsumo."

Yusuke ruffled his sons head getting him to smile and push him back as he heard the phone hang up in his house, Souta by no doubt. 'Weak brat.' But he smiled. 'Rest well friend.' He spoke walking up pushing Souta to the ground ignoring him getting a laugh from Katsumo and a louder one from Shio. "Shuichi what's with the face."

"Kuwabara died?"

Yusuke nodded. "About three weeks ago. No one could find you, so we obviously couldn't tell you."

Shuichi closed his eyes. "Did he get the same thing his sister had."

"Yeah. His was quicker though, less pain." He smiled. "He's was fine with it, just that he could never be the number one thug of junior high, high school, or our old town." He looked up at Katsumo, now taller than he was, but lanky. "Take your brothers somewhere that's not here or near and if I catch you in hearing range I'll get you two" Yusuke pointed to his older two. "to do human tasks for a week with no training or Makai and you Souta _will_ have to train despite what your mother says."

Shuichi chuckled to himself seeing. "Sufficient threat that you could easily carry out." It was quiet until they cleared out far enough, signaled from a nod from Yusuke. "So not to explain twice, what do you already know."

"That Yoko ain't coming back, there's been a still increasing amount of demon activity that I don't know the cause of. A number of factions have been rising and most recently, two weeks ago around there was a major fight somewhere in northern makai Japan with a ton of energy expelled. By time I got there, there was nothing, and I mean nothing out of the normal."

Shuichi nodded. "To make things simpler, I went to Australia on vacation…"

Kagome opened her eyes. It had been five days since she had food. She was living off of the water that she used with Zokusai's training. She had no idea what Sesshomaru was trying to do with her, why, perhaps yes. She had learned in the past that he wasn't sadistic and everything, everything was done for a purpose. This one she just didn't know. She was too weak to pose a threat or protect anything, yet he had commanded her not to be weak. He would only let her leave the room to go to the dojo, when she was told, then back, when she was told. And food…

When she did get it it was measly and far inbetween. She quit meditating along side of Zokusai not thinking about his state of health as well. Maybe this is what Sesshomaru wanted of her.

"Are you focused?" No response. "Good. Do it now."

Zokusai stood, soaking wet as the room began to be covered with ice. He easily raised his own body temperature and formed flames on his hands and went through the movements and after an hour melted all of the ice in the room. He lowered his body temperature and looked at his mother.

"Next time you'll do it in forty minutes and for now that will be your goal-"  
She looked up seeing Sesshomaru at the door and kept her head lowered.

Sesshomaru looked at Zokusai. "You will spar with Taifukai again, half of the allotted time in this form, the other in your other and the wench will stay in here encasing the room in ice once more."

"Yes Sesshomaru sama."

At first listening to Shuichi was a major shock after about ten seconds into the retelling. But then…

Anger, furry, pain, concern. But mainly…

Shuichi nodded. "And they're at Sesshomaru's still."

Yusuke nodded as well. "I know where you and Yoko were bothing thinking, but this is my responsibility as well." He growled to himself. "And I'm glad that you eventually decided to tell me this bit of information."

"I wasn't fully aware of everything, just Kagome being alive, until Yoko summoned me… Yoko only told me to tell you this, but I would like to know what you are going to do. Because he is right. There is no way you could take Kieko."

"But the moment I get into this she's put at risk." Yusuke nodded. "Okay. Let me know when you're done with the bitch and I'm going liked or not."

Shuichi was dumbfounded. "I- You're serious."

"I'm a battle demon Shuichi and I haven't had a battle since Kagome died. Since we thought she was dead for good. I love my mate without a doubt but I can not do this to myself for the rest of her life." He smirked. "Besides Katsumo and Shio need to get their asses beat down by someone else and worked back up." He smiled. "Like old days except this time we're all demon…Well… Everyone but you." He smiled. "Hell my blood is apparently so potent I know for a fact the only one who can smell even trace amount of human blood in them is Sesshomaru. Yoko even told me that I made pure breeds with a ningen."

Shuichi smiled. "Very well then. Will you be leaving temporarily Kieko and Souta here?"

"Kieko's going on a business thing in London for a few days. I'll just tell her to stay longer… A lot longer and work at the company there with Souta." He smiled big. "Hey look at this."

Shuichi watched as the markings all over Yusuke's body faded into his skin. "Impressive."

"Yeah. Turns out that I can suppress them without using much energy at all, just have to have a high enough energy level in the first place to do it so that cuts down on a lot of the makeup cost this house has. Can even do the hair, but that takes more energy so it's not worth it." He laughed. "Those two'll have to toughen it out with Clinque products until they're a high A class or something." He walked off. "I'll tell them all when Kieko comes back from work then Kieko separately then the those two separately." He growled some. "And warn Yoko that if Nijuu continues as he does…"

Shuichi smirked. "He's making him, learn, now as we speak." He ran off. "I'll see you soon Yusuke."

Yusuke smirked shouting in the distance. "See Yoko has your ass getting a work out as well!"

Nijuu perked up once his ears caught onto the sound. "Ningen's back!"

Yoko growled at him. "How is it that despite what I do you are still like this."

Nijuu jumped up to his feet from eating with his father. "Dunno. Not like I know what a spirit fox is anyway. I mean you've told me but that doesn't help and you keep doing stuff… I just wanna be carefree and mess with people."

'Kitsune.' "We will spar after Shuichi enters."

Shuichi entered seeing the two sitting and Nijuu's tail wagging as he turned to Yoko and spoke. "He said to go to him once Sesshomaru lets Kagome go and he will be going with us along with Katsumo and Shio."

Yoko sighed hearing the news and from Nijuu's excitement. "Shio and Nijuu together, is never a good thing. Where will Kieko be during this time."

"In England. Yusuke has apparently check out the place where she will be and does not find it a threat and senses very few youkai in the area. And they will stay away from a woman marked as his and a small, though in his words 'worthless brat' that is in essence his blood."

Yoko nodded. "You informed him of everything."

"Deemed fit. Was my time sufficient enough?"

Yoko smiled some standing up to spar with Nijuu. "No. I have grown a plant in the corner. Try to turn it back into a seed within an hour. This Yoko will not have you become lax."

Kagome woke to a full plate of food for the third straight day in a row. There was no doubt in her mind that they would be leaving soon. She felt… She had her energy and was basically healed for the most part. Maybe today. She hadn't seen Zokusai in a week and she suspected it was now just Sesshomaru once again training him. And she was the only other person, maybe even aside of his mate, to which knew why he trained Zokusai as he did. And she was eternally thankful for it. Even if the dog was arrogant, egotistical and a pompous ass who thought he was better than everyone else she still thanked him, was grateful and in debt to him. She was nothing now, before…It would have been different. He didn't have to do this, yet he was.

And Yoko. She sighed kneeling hearing him enter and looked down.

"The mainly human of your group has informed the Toushin of current events and you will be traveling with him as well. This does not mean you lack your duty to me wench as well as responsibility. Stay in Japan unless you get information to lead you other places. Since you are being tracked, hunted, you will hunt them. Find and kill those after you." He walked out. "Zokusai has been resting throughout the day and you all will leave by dusk. Go to your mate."

Kagome stood once the door closed and walked out. She hadn't noticed before but it was one of Sesshomaru's smaller places. Only a square kilometer of building with a few small side houses. And of course a massive amount of land. She eventually made it down to the dojo they were in seeing Nijuu once again jumping around Shuichi, this time having to do it faster.

'The ningen is actually improving.'

She watched for a while figuring Yoko was with is daughter and sat down watching. After some time passed, and was bombarded by Nijuu asking months worth of questions Yoko entered with his daughter awake giggling at random things. She looked up at him noticing how he was looking at her then looked down again. Sensing the oddness in the room Nijuu spoke up.

"Uhm…" His tail wagged. "Why are you _both_ feeling exactly the same thing but displaying it differently?"

Yoko sighed. "Why can't you do exactly _this_ when you're told." Nijuu sheepishly laughed. "Sesshomaru released you from his house."

"To go find who's after the shikkon directly and not hide. He knows Yusuke is coming with." She saw Shuichi raise a brow. "He didn't show it."

Nijuu smiled. "I sense Zokusai _and_ he's got five tails-"

Yoko cut him off. "-how can you sense the number of tails he has when his energy is suppressed."

Nijuu smiled tail wagging. "I just keep track of him that's all." He saw the glare his father was giving him and eyes widened. "I don't really know I just can feel it sometimes…A lot of times."

Yoko sighed as Shuichi smirked. "Difficult trying to train a miniature version of yourself is it not?"

"I've trained you I can train Nijuu-"

"-Hi brother!"

Zokusai entered wearing pants and a shirt with a small tear in it. He ignored his brother, saw the look his father was looking at him at with then turned to Shuichi.

"Ready."

Yusuke looked up seeing Yoko holding something and Nijuu, jumping about as normal. His eyes widened slightly.

"Yoko. Shuichi failed to mention that you knocked her up again."

Yoko glared at him slightly. "She is my mate and she was pregnant with kits why would that be something of concern Toushin."

"Can't I even speak my mind without you damn people taking it as offensive now adays?" He saw the smirk on Yoko's face and sighed. "Damn fox. Fell for it again."

"It's what I do. Are you prepared. I trust you sensed our approach enough."

"Yeah we're good. Kieko's just waiting for a taxi to take her to the airport with the worthless one. What are you going to do about baby girl here."

"Shuichi has already spoken to Kieko who has agreed to take her for the duration until all of our return." Yoko chuckled some. "I am a kitsune and he acts more like a kitsune than not. What do you expect."

Yusuke smirked some. "Yeah bet she'll love the baby ears and buying more cute hats all over the place and walking her in parks." He scoffed. "This better not take too long other wise the girl'll wind up as worthless as Souta."

Kieko came up hearing something from Yusuke but couldn't hear it all and smiled. "Hello Yoko. Did, Yusuke just tell you Souta can't come along?"

Yoko smiled. "Of course Kieko. He was most informative I wouldn't dare dream of putting him in harms way nor would your husband."

Kieko smiled taking the small kit seeing her immediately wake up. Her eyes brightened and yipped some.

"Yoko she is adorable! How cute! I can finally dress up a girl! And I can tell you're stifling a laugh Yusuke not my fault you wanted boys and you got boys that's all on you mister."

Yusuke smiled at her holding the girl yipping at her. "Downgraded to mister." He snubbed. "Allright then Kieko." He saw Nijuu jumping around. "Hyper over there gave Souta a seed that'll grow as soon as he plants it. It'll let Yoko or Shuichi know if something's up with you three and by an odd chance we can't just feel it."

Kieko nodded sticking a finger out for Katsumi to hold onto. "This will be so much fun! What's her name Yoko?"

"Katsumi." He saw her look up at him. "It's a family name before the last sound was of your sons."

She nodded. "Little Katsumi." She smiled in seeing her look up at her from hearing her name. "You all be safe okay! And if you have a chance when you're in ningenkai give a call and Yoko I'll put Katsumi on the phone too kay?"

Nijuu trotted past. "Bye Kieko!"

Kieko looked at him with a wave. "He pulled a prank didn't he. He's got that look in his eyes _just_ like you Yoko."

Yoko smirked. "If it's one thing he can do well is be what kitsunes have been known for throughout the years."

"So what did he do-"

"-damnit Nijuu get your ass back here now!"

Kieko shouted seeing Shio running after him towards the Makai portal. "Shio do not curse is that understood!" She shoved Yusuke. "And you need to stop cursing around them so that they don't think it's okay."

He kissed her immediately calming her down. "I apologize Kieko."

Katsumo walked up next to them and bowed slightly. "Mother." He nodded at his father. "Shall we?"

Yusuke spoke after giving Kieko a hug and seeing her, Katsumi and Souta off in the taxi with a smile. "What did Nijuu do."

Katsumo spoke smiling. "He made him take a shit in his own pants."

Yusuke laughed aloud as Yoko chuckeled speaking. "that's a new one for him. Good."

"Once we figure out where we're going may Zokusai and I spar father."

Yusuke nodded. "Sure thing, but you know that if he's been in Sesshomaru's place for three months he's caught up to you, at least." He saw the look in Yoko's eyes. "Meaning ole fox here knows something we defiantly don't know." He turned to Katsumo. "Did Shio at least change pants?"

Zokusai sat next to his mother next to a small set of mountains near the makai portal. He saw her look ahead still.

"Why is Sesshomaru training me Mom. I know you know and I could tell his son didn't."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." She felt his gaze stronger. "I don't know what it means exactly but it is something that should be welcomed, even if you don't really understand why."

"Why won't you tell me though."

"Because you're too young to understand and I know you despise that answer, but when you're old enough to know and that could be in two months two decades two centuries you'll already know." It was quiet for a while. "Being realistic…When this is over and if I'm still alive I wanna disappear. Where no one knows what I am… I've had a lot of time to think since we were in Sesshomaru sama's home. I want to be able to claim you in the future Zokusai. And this is what it is all about. Not now. Then. For a better one where you can call me Mom and I will respond, and I can have two sons and a daughter. But for now you're his son. And at times I know you resent me for it and Nijuu just doesn't understand. And I'm fine with it. It would probably make it easier for me if you did hate me all of the time.

But I'm only mortal, we're all going to die at sometime and I just want yours to be as far away from this moment as possible. Because there will be a time when I can have a son like you, because you won't be who you are now, then, nor will I." She stood walking off. "But I do love you, Zokusai."

Yoko exited the portal last seeing Kagome walking back to where Shuichi was leaving Zokusai in the distance. Yusuke picked up on it as well and put a hand on Katsumo's shoulder.

"Give him time…Is he okay Kagome."

She looked at Katsumo, Nijuu and Shio already long gone doing…something she rather not know. "Just leave him alone for a while."

Yusuke smiled at her. "At least you're out of dog's house. You, doin' okay?" he saw Yoko walk off with Katsumo to train him. "Okay enough."

She looked up at him. "No, but you already knew the answer."

Yusuke figured to give her a little time. "What happened with Zokusai."

"I told him the truth and he's processing it."

Yusuke looked on at her. "I've never seen him like that ever. I mean the boy's a deep thinker to the max…But…" he looked at Kagome. "You told him that he's your son."

"I told him I loved him, and he had never heard that before in his life."

"And some other things you're not going to tell me." He saw a small smile on her face. "Can still do that." He was quiet for a while. "Did dog tell you how this was going to end."

"Yusuke you are a friend but I wish Shuichi wouldn't have told you about this. Not just because of your safety, because I really don't want anyone around me. But… When Sesshomaru knew Shuichi was going to tell you he gave me a fail safe device, because he knows you're more powerful than Yoko, meaning he has no confidence in Yoko even though he likes you less."

"What is it."

"I'm not going to tell you, I wouldn't even if he didn't tell me not to. But…To answer your first question, I'm just, tired. Look forward to the future, no matter what it brings."

Yusuke gave her a small side hug. "A future you're in. I'll figure out what it is and either stop you from using it or it using you."

Yoko came back from sparing and training the youths, to according to him Yusuke and Kagome still were-

He shook the notion of his mate as a youth out of his head and went back to the cave. It wasn't one of his. He wasn't about to have Uremeshi's, anyone not blood to him inside of one of his caves. At times he didn't want Nijuu and even Zokusai inside. And now… With even more he'd have even less time with his mate alone than before, which was almost next to none. He wanted his scent all over her body after he figured out what she was thinking about.

Yusuke looked up seeing Nijuu and Shio playing some type of speed game with stones inside, but at Yoko seeing his eyes briefly glitter. "Yoko you can have sex all you want but in seeing this cave and the size of it I doubt you want everyone in here seeing Kagome stark naked."

Shuichi looked at Yusuke. "His eyes glittered over for a moment again I see. We can leave you two alone for some time if you'd like. It has been quite a span for you."

Yoko smirked. "I like letting that look be known, because in most cases it would be a sign for you to leave."Yusuke laughed out loud while Shuichi chuckled to himself. "You'll be able to tell once she comes back in with Katsumo, yusuke."

Yusuke looked on seeing his eldest son walking ahead of Kagome with a slight blush on his face and his eyes closed as he sat down near Zokusai who was already asleep. Yusuke laughed a bit to himself already knowing what it was as Kagome walked inside to the opposite end of the cave with nothing across her face, sat, and slept. Shuichi nodded understanding before hand, just from being a part of Yoko for such a time. Shio, though, sniffed around looking up from the game and spoke.

"Hey what smells really goo-"

Nijuu put his hand over his mouth quickly laughing to cover up the last syllable. Yusuke spoke slightly lower hoping Kagome couldn't hear that far away, but didn't put it past her.

"Let's find a larger cave tomorrow ne?"

Yoko smiled. "If you'd like for me to rutt with my mate so much Yusuke you can take the children and leave."

He waved his hand. "Fine fine. So what do you think old man is the best way to figure out where these people are at? Become undead?"

"Precisely."

"After at least twenty four hours worth of rutting that is."

Kagome walked towards the middle not liking it. She was in heat and in mist of a group entirely compromised of males. More than she had ever been around in her life probably that weren't trying to kill her. And the only other thing she did as she walked was to get the thought of rutting with Yoko out of her head. She smiled though, unable to hide it. She knew for a damn fact Yoko didn't know a damn thing of what she was thinking when she was in heat or when it came to mating.

Shio dropped back some from Nijuu next to her. "Kagome? I haven't asked but since it's coming from you…Why do you smell really good? Is this normal for you or something?"

Kagome heard the snickers from some of the children and chuckles from the rest. "I'm in heat."

Shio blushed some. "Uhm so does that mean…Uhm…"

Kagome ignored him and continued to walk. She wanted for this time to be over, and quickly.

Not finding a cave for the next two nights they decided to rest for a while in a secluded section of a jungle, to which kagome immediately left the group clearly still in sensory, and smell range, to be alone. Yoko looked on and decided, knowing she wanted to be alone, to go and follow her. Something was odd, more than normal, and he just wanted to be around her.

'And she knows she tortures me far more than I could ever torture her when it comes to her being in heat.'

Kagome looked up at him waiting for him to speak. He found her sitting against a tree waiting for him to say something.

"What's wrong and telling me nothing is wrong would be lying to me."

Kagome prayed Sesshomaru wasn't _that_ cruel, even if it felt, literally right now, like he was. "Thinking."

He sat down, picked her up and inhaled into her hair growling some. "We _can_ stay here for a few days, if you'd like that is." He smiled at her. "It's going to be fine Kagome. We will not be defeated this time."

She turned around and looked at him for a while. "If you say it, I trust you," she kissed him. "Yoko."

Shio woke up and blushed immediately knowing what the sounds were. He saw his father had noticed his reaction, blushed more and went back to sleep. Yusuke spoke to Shuichi, both staying up not sleeping.

"You, remember when…Well you've heard them go at it before right?"

Shuichi looked at him. "They are quieter than when we stayed at the shrine in Osaka and unfortunately at times I did happen to wake up in the middle of it. But they're more quieter in general, Yoko prides himself on trying to elict the most sounds out of her and this…"

"You mean the one shout we did hear from her might not be because of pleasure."

"But Yoko would never hurt her."

"Maybe it's some weird thing they do-"

Shuichi and Yusuke both stopped. They were talking about how their two friends were having sex. Yusuke looked at Shuichi.

"Yeah you can go to sleep if you want. I got no problem staying awake."

Yoko watched his mate sleep. It was one of his favorite activites to do with her….First being simply holding her, second being rutting, this third. But…

'Something's wrong with her that she should not have tried to cover up. She's never this quiet when it comes to rutting. And the one time that she did shout out I could have sworn she was in pain.' He stroked her head. 'And then I stopped. Don't try to lie to me to protect me love, the world doesn't have to be on your shoulders. I love you, I don't want you to just, be compliant because it's less confrontation-'

Yoko paused his thoughts hearing a small whimper escape from his mate sleeping on top of him as she tried curling up some. He couldn't tell if it was from pain or another bad dream. When she woke in the morning, quiet, avoiding eye contact, he sat her up on his lower stomach at his waist so she would have to look at him and spoke.

"Do not try to avoid things by putting sex in front of me Kagome because I will stop as I did once I find out." He looked at her closer. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

She looked at him speaking calmly. "I don't like hiding anything from you Yoko but some things I don't have a choice in, and not about following orders, but just that I can not say."

"He got some one to put some type of spell on you so that you can't say this to me." He saw her nod and felt his spirit drop. "Kagome…"

Kagome sensed it and looked at him feeling bad. "Please don't- " She stopped herself knowing he would worry about it. Instead she gently kissed him then brushed under his chin, something she learned that soothed him. "Yoko there are a lot of things I would like to tell you that I don't. Some by choice, some not by choice." She kissed him again. "And I know I have nothing to fear from you but I'm still…" She kissed him instead of saying the word. "I tried telling someone to test it out."

Yoko received another one of her kisses. "Yusuke."

She kissed him again. "I couldn't control what I was saying after a while, and when I tried again I felt really ill. I didn't even know he did it to me, but now there's no purpose in getting upset." She kissed him again. "It's done." She saw the look he was looking at her with. "I care for you Yoko," she leaned down on him wrapping her arms around his bare chest head in the crook of his neck. "but I'm sorry."

Yoko wasn't sure what to make of it and thought as he put his tail over her bare legs and an arm around her gently stroking her back for a short while. He had always known, even more the first time they rutted, which wasn't how he would have liked at all.

"You're a lot smaller than I am."

"You're bigger than I am," she let out a small sigh and sat up walking to the pile where her clothing was. "let's go."

Yusuke looked up noticing Kagome coming out of the jungle, as normal leaving Yoko's scent on her. She started walking with Katsumo and Zokusai and shortly later Yoko came out of the jungle. He spoke.

"Yo punk kids. Go ahead."

Nijuu looked at him. "Uhm…"

Yusuke sighed. "Walk? Understand?" When they were ahead enough Yusuke spoke. "What's going on."

"Kagome spoke to you earlier when you first came into makai."

"Yeah. She said…" Yusuke looked up. "That I am a friend but she wished that Shuichi didn't tell me about this. Not just safety 'cause she dosen't want anyone around her. And when Sesshomaru knew Shuichi was going to tell me, he gave her a fail safe device, because he knows I'm more powerful than you, meaning he has no confidence in you though he likes me less." He paused. "And as she continued speaking I looked at her asking if she was okay, seemed uncomfortable or something. But she went on sounding a bit odd, first of all because she never talks that much at once and the more she spoke… I don't know. But she said she wasn't going to tell me and that she was tired. Said something else then excused herself a bit quickly."

Yoko didn't have enough information. "Sesshomaru had someone to place a spell on her. She can't say certain things without, pain. And I'm not sure if that's all."

Yusuke continued to walk. "But the thing is she's secretive regardless that at least I can't tell what she'd hide normally for our own good or because he won't let her say it."

Yoko looked ahead at her, Shuichi slightly in front of them. "I'm worried that it goes back further-"

Yusuke looked at him pausing slightly in a step. "-where."

Yoko growled ahead. "Underneath us."

Nijuu's ears perked up and growled back. _"I can't sense that Dad but when you brought that up I had a shiver down my back. There's something else out there. All I feel is…not like us?"_

Yoko sighed. "Nijuu says there's something not like us out there."

Yusuke chuckled some catching up with the rest along side of Yoko. "Yup, Nijuu. Can sense more things than everyone around him most of the time but doesn't know what it is or where it is, just that it's –"

Yusuke looked ahead feeling a vibration in the ground and before anything else could happen the ground beneath the ones ahead broke open. Nijuu immediately jumped, just before, to the side out of range landing on the edge of a major crater in the ground, deep, and briefly looked down regretting it.

There was a deep pit in the ground with a circle of teeth and a large purple tongue. It had to be a demon, but he couldn't see anything else of it as his brother, mother and friends feel down.

But Kagome, on even more alert, formed a small ice pole as soon as she felt the ground shake. She knew Nijuu, as much as he jumped, would be safe, but the rest of the children would need more assistance. The ground opened up beneath her with the sound of an earthquake and she quickly grew the pole straight down causing the creature…A large mole youkai to shriek in pain getting its lip speared. Zokusai got onto the pole at various stages of length and kicked off of it grasping onto the side of hole and quickly climbed up and out. Katsumo looked up at her, standing on top of the ice pole on a small sheet of ice.

"We can't jump that far."

Kagome couldn't jump that far either. Seeing Yoko and Yusuke in the distance she quickly, as the mole demon closed its mouth breaking the ice pole, she quickly grew out another ice pole, very long, the width of the hole and dropped it from where she was jumping onto it hanging on, swinging up standing on it with Yusuke's sons and going to the edge of it. The mole demon let out a noise of some sorts and went back under ground. By time she made it to stable land Yoko and Yusuke were already there. She looked into the hole as Yoko spoke.

"She tunneled someplace else. Not coming back."

Shio looked at him. "Then why?"

Yoko spoke. "Nijuu focus now where do you feel that at."

Nijuu put his hands up in the air. "Dad I don't I can just feel it now I told Mom as you growled to me."

Yoko closed his eyes. 'I need to train him constantly.' "Fine."

Nijuu made a face. "Apologize Dad…Am trying… and now I don't sense it at all like it went away. Really far away or at least heading towards it but not, gone." He looked up at Yoko. "What does that mean?"

Yoko looked up at the setting sun. "We keep going, you hunt at night then continue on."

Kagome sat against a tree with Shuichi on the other side of it napping. Everyone else was out hunting. It was the closest thing she would be getting to time alone, since the human would wake the moment she stood. She could tolerate him fine, but she still didn't like him. She said she would hunt and let it die, but that wouldn't serve any purpose in seeing as how she wasn't going to eat anything and told it to Yoko boldface. He knew the last time she had eaten, but why she wasn't eating…

'Same reason I can't say anything to you Yoko.'

She continued to think for a while seeing Shio returning followed by Nijuu gnawing on a bone. He had cleaned himself. The boy was entirely too focused on hygiene, which was good, but not that much. He didn't even like blood in his mouth for too long. She smiled a bit at the thought of Nijuu with dirt on him finding out minutes later-

She quickly stood which woke Shuichi. "What is it Kagome."

Nijuu spoke. "I got that same feeling again…Do you know what it is Mom? Maybe that's what you're sensing."

"It's moving around quickly, they are."

She created an ice ball in her hand quickly encasing it with fire and closed her fist quickly making five of the same size and threw them straight up above her as she jumped up into a tree. As something moved out of them one was hit with a small noise and she quickly grabbed, it, cutting a part of it's body off with an ice dagger doing the same to another part. When Shuichi heard Nijuu growling at it, them, and the blood that fell from the tree where Kagome was he spoke knowing the type of demon around them.

"Shadow youkai."

Kagome quickly flipped to a lower branch of the tree glad the other fire ice balls had lit something so that she could see better. And the youkai had less of an advantage. She quickly kicked one out of the tree getting on top of it only to find it going out from her feet. She looked around. If Shuichi wasn't saying anything then he didn't know how to defeat the eith-

Nijuu growled. "They're not attacking so this is a distraction."

Shio didn't like it. "From what."

Kagome sensed it ahead. "Get down now."

Kagome dove with Shuichi getting him out of the way rolling, stood up to see a path burnt to a crisp. Quickly. Not sensing the rest around but sensing the other part of their group in the distance she created an ice bow with one arrow firing it only to hear it shatter in the distance as her eyes widened seeing more shadow demons around, some starting to take solid form, and pushing them, kicking them. As a plume of water crashed straight into her.

Yoko looked up seeing Yusuke approaching in the distance after eating. "Kagome's fighting something."

Yusuke came up to him. "What I was going to tell you Katsumo keeps saying something is pushing him but can't see a thing, can't sense a thing."

Yoko clawed at something in front of him nearly missing Yusuke.   
"-Shadow demons-"

Yoko let out a loud grunt almost blacking out. He shook his head finding himself on the ground and sniffed. Lightning. Not sure of how that was possible since he sensed literally nothing around him he saw Yusuke getting up looking not well either.

"What the fuck was that."

Yoko looked around. "Lightning, and I can't sense anything-"

Yusuke quickly jumped to the side as Yoko jumped out of the path of a shoot of water aimed straight at them. Followed by a shoot of fire Yusuke couldn't avoid and another shoot of water that slammed Yoko through a number of trees. When it stopped he caught his breath coughing out some water and quickly jumped into a tree out of the way of a bolt of lighting when his ears locked onto a yelp from Nijuu. He had no idea of what was going on, but that there was a wide mass of energy forming at the end of Yusuke's finger.

"Jakai gun!"

The red glow of energy cleared out a massive path of trees and hit nothing on the end except for a few stray demons. Jumping out of the way of another flume of water Yusuke growled pist.

"What the hell is doing that?"

Kagome chocked on the water quickly freezing the bottom portion of it pushing off to the side before she felt her back break on a tree. She landed quickly coughing up water and jumped to the side of another one. She wouldn't have the ability to freeze all of it. The thing was at a major advantage in the distance…

Kagome took off running. "Shio _be alert_. Nijuu."

Nijuu quickly caught up to his mother, that he noticed wasn't trying to go quickly. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to fire arrows at it. It can tell they are coming and will destroy them but then you will figure out where they are at since you are quick and attack, quickly, making sure not to stay around it for long and _do not_ jump into a tree if you can help it…Because you're very loud in them."

Nijuu nodded and went into his kitsune form hoping it would aid him. Apparently not even his mother knew what they were facing…Why wasn't anyone else coming? Thinking of it now he couldn't sense anyone else. He quickly saw his mother's arrow go past him and it shatter in the distance and something glow. He changed directions seeing a flue of lighting go into the air the same time a flume of water went straight. And another ice arrow shatter and him change direction again getting closer. And quickly another ice arrow meaning his mother was doing her best to fire and track him- As he jumped to the side of a flume of fire-

Nijuu let out a yelp getting pushed to the side by something then kicked and figured it was the shadow demon getting into a solid form. He saw his mother fire another arrow seeing the glow again now directly in front of him-

Kagome dove down cursing herself even more not able to tell that the shadow had attacked Nijuu and got on top of his much larger form than herself and covered him creating an ice shield to buy them a little protection as a plume of water went straight at them. She pushed him to get him moving and froze the water, that close to the creature and turned to Nijuu.

"Attack now."

Nijuu went back to his humanoid form quickly and ran forward weary of biting it and instead used his claws and slashed at it only finding, time and time again that his claws couldn't make it past the creatures tough exterior-

Kagome spoke to him diving with him again getting him out of the way of a flume of fire. It went clear across her back, but since she wasn't in its path long enough she could neutralize it some.

"-I told you attack and leave quickly."

Nijuu got up to his feet as Kagome rolled off of him jumping to the side of a bolt of lighting, not even knowing he sensed it that quickly. He spoke seeing the creature gone out of sight again and his mother shaking her head getting up to her feet. She had gotten hit by…Either water- Water. He didn't smell fire or- He knew she got hit.

"The thing's got some tough exterior I couldn't claw at it no matter what I did." He saw Shio and Shuichi running at them, avoiding water flumes at them. "What is it?"

Shuichi ran past them following Shio having seen what Kagome was trying to accomplish in the distance. She would fire the arrow this time and Shio would try attacking it.

"Are you sure it's one entity Nijuu."

"No."

Shuichi continued on. "Let us follow Kagome then. Apparently she has a plan of attack to at least expose it's weakness."

Yoko looked ahead keeping focus all around him. It's attacks he couldn't sense. He jumped to the side quickly of a bolt of lightning seeing Katsumo and Zokusai running ahead after it. Not wanting them after it alone he went ahead after them, noticing the longer they ran the further they got from the creature.

'We can't run straight at it because we can't even see it.'

He closed his eyes briefly listening, for the creature, and to nature. He grew out the grass tying the creature down from where it was standing on top of the grass that cried out for help and struggled some jumping aside from a flume of water. It was incredibly powerful-

And it flared it's fire around itself letting it know where it was for the other three to find it and attack as it burnt away from the vines. He ran up seeing the creature as Zokusai growled claws ineffective and Katsumo's punches only bothering it. But when Yusuke hit it-

Kagome turned hearing a loud roar of some sorts and continued on aiding Shio to get closer to it. She spoke to him, following in the trees.

"Aim for soft areas like the eye. When you can get closer attack with energy around your fist to make the impact stronger. Jump away quickly."

Shio nodded firing in the distance unable to see it and saw the glow as it moved away and followed as Kagome shot another arrow, quickly jumping out of the way of a flume of water. Shio saw the breaking of ice, fired again at where he thought the glow would be and saw Kagome fire an arrow quickly afterwards and ran after using a bit more energy, charged his hand and connected. The creature, to which he saw was about twice the size of Zokusai in kitsune form was still massive in its own way, with either three or four heads, some letting lighting, water and fire out of their mouths… But when his fist connected it only dented the ruff exterior getting a grunt. He quickly started punching in the same area when he let out a yell feeling himself electrocuted. The creature had sent a bolt of lighting on itself, which didn't affect it.

Shio was forced to the ground in pain shouting and soon found a foot on top of him and blacked out.

Kagome saw as she jumped out of the way of a flume of fire and quickly made it out of the trees getting his attention. "Shuichi get Shio out of the way."

Kagome quickly jumped above Shio holding her arms up quickly and let out a grunt as she was forced into the ground holding off a very flat foot. Shuichi formed a dull rose whip wrapping it around Shio's legs and quickly whipping it back towards him pulling him back as Nijuu dove with him to the side out of the way of a plume of water. Kagome shouted seeing under the creature at them.

"Now!"

Shuichi nodded at Nijuu to go. The kitsune ran under the creature taking an ice sword from his mother that she had dropped for him seeing her energy around her trying not to be crushed and unable to let go at the same time. The sword was very cold, but in seeing the fire surround the creature and his mother not really effected he could understand why she didn't want him clawing it. He shoved the sword into the creature quickly going as deep as possible and putting more of his energy into his strength and slowly, finding the creature dense and his underbelly skin was still thick, moving along trying to gut it. Was seemingly something he did well.

Shuichi noticed the creature preoccupied with the two no longer attacking at him and the unconscious Shio. He grew out some plants, vines, that went into the exposed belly helping to aid Shio. He saw the flume of water go over itself and would have shoved Kagome off if she had not frozen it's foot. Causing it to shout in freezing pain and quickly put fire over itself again. He sent the rose whip around Kagome's waist having to stop sending plants into it's belly knowing she would understand and that Nijuu could easily jump away that quickly.

Kagome felt the smooth whip go around her waist and hissed in pain. "Nijuu when I shout abandon its underside and jump away." She saw Nijuu nod, and wondered why it took the creature so long to use lightening on itself- "-go!"

Kagome felt herself yanked back causing her more pain from something else and saw Nijuu safe quickly jumped to the side. She coughed out some blood noticing the odd look Shuichi gave her and jumped to the side separate from him getting up to her feet. She spoke going after it following the blood trail.

"Stay with Shio."

Kagome saw Nijuu running next to her, meaning he didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do. Her arms were…She couldn't lift the creature any longer. Nijuu could using a lot of his energy, but she couldn't use the sword and cut into the thing and Shuichi wouldn't be fast enough to get out from under it…The blood coming from under it.

"Distract on of its heads. When it shouts out ram into it and knock it over."

Kagome saw Nijuu flip arrogantly in front of the creature and kick the lighting on in its face and quickly avoid the bolt that followed. Kagome quickly put her hands to the ground where she could see the blood trail and froze it's blood up to it's stomach. The creature let out a massive yell having part of its inside unnaturally cold frozen as Nijuu jumped onto the side of the creature and kicked off of it, three times going against a tree quickly. The creature, still roaring fell onto its side and was about to get up when Kagome tossed Nijuu another ice sword and herself at a distance threw a javelin into it. After she heard a gurgling sound and saw Nijuu began to hack at its neck to make sure it was dead she cleared out of the area where Shuichi sat with Shio, waking up with a plant in his face, sat down and closed her eyes ignoring Nijuu until Shio woke up. When he did he felt a glare from Kagome and looked towards her-

"If the both of you refuse to listen to what someone tells you, you will be killed out here."

Shio spat out some blood. "Yes Kagome."

She growled to herself, sighed, sat against a tree and closed her eyes listening to Shuichi speak to her. "And of the others."

"Yusuke's strong enough to punch through the thing. Once they stall it enough for him so that he's not electrocuted he'll kill it with ease."

Yusuke's punch went straight into the creature causing it to let out some noise and quickly rose his energy to get strength to get his arm out. He jumped away seeing the fire curl around and go down upon itself as he heard a shout from his son and growled to himself. He spoke to Yoko.

"How can we get it not to do that to itself since only I can punch through it." He saw Yoko jump back to next to him. "Well."

Yoko looked at the creature. "I can quickly wrap vines around its left side, the legs keeping it in place long enough for Zokusai and Katsumo to knock it onto its side, where all of us can attack underneath it while you take out one of the heads since we won't have time to kill it."

Yusuke nodded and saw the two boys nod in agreement as well. Yoko quickly grew out some branches and leaves around the base of its legs and held it in place as the boys at the same time both punched it then kicked back causing the creature to fall over. Yusuke quickly aimed for the lightning head, knowing that hurt them the most and by time the creature- that part of it was howling in pain it sent fire around itself causing the rest to jump away. After about five more attempts in succession, the fire head not letting Yusuke anywhere near it, the creature let out a breath of exgustion and allowed Yusuke to punch, quickly, about five holes at their necks until he was assured they were dead. Yusuke sighed.

"Let's go see how Kagome faired, getting stuck with the weak three."

Yoko looked around. "The shadow demons are gone. They were spies."

Yusuke smirked at him. "Well you said it _would_ be good if we were alive."

"Good on _our_ _terms_. Now they know that the Toushin is slightly injured and a spirit fox that has killed himself off before is weakened and alive. Along with four young offspring and a fire ice youkai."

Yusuke nodded. "Right." He growled. "Stupid Shio."

Shio looked up at his father with a sheepish smirk. "Hey Dad…"

Yusuke saw his son's legs almost completely crushed. "Should be glad Shuichi is giving you major makai drugs so that you're not crying like a baby." He heard Shio moan in protest to his father as Shuichi continued setting his bones. "What happened." He heard Kagome growl and smirked. "Shio you know what, you don't even have to say anything, because _that_ in itself tells me you can't do as you're told."

Nijuu whinned some seeing his father looking at him for an explanation. "Mom told me to attack once and quickly get out of the way, and I kept at it. And she told the same thing to Shio, who also didn't, listen."

Yoko growled at him. _"Follow directions, learn or die. Do not put your mother in harm because of your idioacray. If you weren't my son I would have killed you now, so you would do best not to say anything to me for some time."_

Yusuke saw Nijuu whine for a short while until Yoko growled something else at him. He saw Shio look up at Nijuu and smiled patting him on the back.

"Don't even think you're off easy." He laughed some. "Just wait until you can walk again."

Shuichi spoke still taking care of his wounds. "Was that a Chimera."

Yoko spoke a bit tired having Kagome growl at him from not wanting to be moved or touched but did so anyway. 'You'd sit through injury and pain because you're used to it.' "Stop." Kagome growled at him knowing he'd force it if she didn't. She hissed as he moved up her shirt. "Yes what do you know about them."

Shuichi continued. "Mythical beings with the more powerful ones having more heads to them. Immune to the abilities they posses having such common ones as lightning, fire, water, ice, to more rare even for a rare mythical being such as neutralizing abilities, illusion, nature, and others probably unknown."

Yusuke spoke resting. "Nerd."

Yoko saw the vine marks around Kagome and figured Shuichi had to move her quickly for a reason. But the massive bruise on her left side…Some were more main colors than others. He put her shirt down not having anything to do for bruises and went to her arms that had luckily, no thanks to Shio, fractured further. He propped her up onto his lap holding her placing two leaves into her mouth and growled lightly. When he felt her chewing he spoke.

"Chimera yes but where did they come from since they are indeed a myth."

Yusuke spoke. "Either everyone lied to the two of you in school about myths or that physic who could make things real from books, or someone like him did it. But I can't smell anything completely human around here. Besides these Chimera obviously had limited intelligence so someone got them to do it, controls them somehow, and it wasn't the shadow demons."

It was quiet for a while. Katsumo and Zokusai returned from a brook cleaning themselves and Yusuke, shoving Nijuu, went off to clean as well. Yoko spoke.

"Did you find anything."

Katsumo shook his head. "Shadow demons then we headed for you two."

Kagome listened on the conversation, upset that she knew Yoko wasn't going to let her walk though she was capable when it came for their time to clean, and thought about what had happened. The chimera weren't too intelligent, just attack them, move, defend. IF they were smart they would have understood her speaking out loud what they were going to do to it. The shadow demons were spies, but then who could get them to listen and not do what they want? And the mole earlier? Who would have to gain from getting the tama and how? They couldn't ask anyone, even if they were alive. NO leads, dead end. Meaning they would just have to keep walking around with no direction until they could corner something with intelligence and get it to talk… In the mean time Nijuu was returning with Yusuke, and since Shuichi wasn't finished…

Yoko lifted up Kagome seeing her flick him off and figured she was extremely pissed off at Nijuu and Shio and spoke to her once at the brook. "You haven't done that in quite a long time."

"I can walk and I can clean myself."

Yoko nodded. "You can, as can I for you do not fight me."

Kagome ignored him and began to kneel to clean herself and sighed. Yoko was right behind her and would stop her, so that she didn't further harm herself. She knelt her head giving in once again feeling a strain on her legs and figured the fracture went straight down through her legs, just not as much. IT was quiet for some time.

"It's just Nijuu and Shio."

"Yes."

"Why do you have two different bruise patterns on your stomach."

Sesshomaru was going to kill her again. "Trampled."

"Kagome-"

"-you need to back off and let me do a damn thing for myself." She glared at him. "Or do you see me weak now too." She saw his expression and pushed out of his hold walking off. "Better yet, don't answer."

Yoko whinnied. Kagome had never been upset at him, so the first time being _that _harsh…HE whinnied more, headed back and sat alone under a tree. Shuichi spoke softly to him as he left with Shio.

"If she said something to upset you this much, maybe she couldn't control what she was saying to you Yoko."

Yoko was quiet, he hadn't thought of that, but her words, the glare behind it. She was almost always incontrol of her emotions and rarely let them show, even when she was in pain. She would rather act on controlled anger, but against him? He looked down by himself. He was confused and he did not want to leave her alone, like he did last time, which led her to think apparently even after he found her again that he hated her. To end it all and go and kill herself, because he couldn't say or even look at her. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything to her then, or now.

Yoko got up and growled at himself quickly going off into the jungle. 'I told her I would _never_ fail her again and I don't plan on letting her do this to herself liked or not I am her mate and I will not let her continue to do this to herself. I will not let you-'

Yoko continued running past and soon ran past some bile on the ground after dead youkai. 'She wasn't trying to get away from me, the spell made her…Act as such towards me. Kagome…'

Kagome glared at Yoko as he walked out letting out a rather loud whine. And once the pain started to form she bit her lip. He wouldn't want to be around her now, she felt like shit. She had never felt him feel that bad before, hurt. And it was because of her. Just another forbidden bitch that only messed things up. She took off in the opposite direction wanting to distance herself as much as possible from someone she loved, would die for again without a thought, would love to live for, care for, would do anything…But could only hurt. She really would have been better off dead, because Yoko would have never known to feel pain such as-

Kagome quickly jumped off of a tree gritting her teeth from the pain of her fractured bones and slashed through one bird youkai and burnt the rest. She saw one crow youkai, maybe C class flying down at her and after a few minutes had slashed through it enough to kill it, putting too much of a strain on her limbs that cried for her to stop-

Kagome let out a small shout, collapsed, and vomited. It was mainly bile, some blood, no food. She couldn't eat too much without… She quickly got onto her legs that cried for her to stop, her mind that cried for her to die, her eyes that just cried. She noticed a small serpent demon looking at her and stopped running, praying that it latched onto her neck, had venom stronger than she currently was, and she died. Because she couldn't be in anymore pain than from doing that to Yoko by choice or not-

Kagome winced some seeing the snake quickly latch onto her arm drawing fresh blood. It wasn't poisonous. It wasn't going to kill her. She wiped her tears away quickly slashing through its body weakening it and pulling it out of her arm letting it slowly die and continued to run. After a short while she sensed the end of the jungle and let out a small cry not fast enough to dodge a stray wolf demon that slash across her stomach. Knowing she didn't have the strength to defeat it now she tossed an ice ball at it causing it to explode freezing parts of its face catching it off guard, ran off, found a place to hide, curled up and wept herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yoko felt it. Her pain, her soul in anguish… He had no idea of how he could have ever thought of her to willing said that to him. He had always known since that she loved him, cared for him, would die for him literally so why did he almost leave her again? He ran for another ten minutes wondering how she was going so quickly injured, even if she was used to far too much pain or was too distraught to register it, her legs were fractured, she was slow on energy. But she kept going. After five minutes he noticed a dead lesser snake demon on the ground and her scent and continued on when his ears picked up a small shout in the distance.

'She almost made it out the jungle, that was this big to begin with.'

Yoko smelled her blood shed and stopped his run. There was a wolf demon, mid B class, with her blood on her claws, stalking. And she was stronger than his mate now. Yoko quickly killed the wolf and went off to where he felt the soul of his mate. She was sleeping, unable to continue running from him. He looked around the jungle once he felt out the area she was in and sniffed smelling her blood at the base of a tree and moved to the side a few branches and saw the small opening encased with extremely thick, cold ice.

"Kagome…Kagome…Kagome…"

Yoko knelt down and punched the ice once and felt her wake up, moan, and pass out again. He moved to the other side of the tree seeing her tiring out before she could encompass the entire base with ice and using a grass knife cut into the base of the tree to see her extremely curled up, unconscious. He picked her up seeing her stomach oozing blood and healed the tree going off to the same creek that went completely through the jungle and took care of her.

"I'm the sorry one Kagome, not you."

Yusuke let out a small yawn and smirked. He could still fall asleep on his watch and wake up before the rest without anyone knowing…Except for Kagome. He looked around noticing she wasn't there, nor Yoko and figured by the demeanor when he returned something happened he didn't need nor wanted to know about. He grumbled to himself that Shio wouldn't be able to hunt for himself if he couldn't walk and knew he would need to eat after expending energy. He got up, killed something, enough for him and Nijuu and sat against a tree waiting for them to wake up.

Yoko watched as Kagome slept, curling back up despite his efforts for her not to, and woke up just after dawn. She wouldn't sleep long at all. When he noticed she realized where she was he saw her look down. He could never read her, at all.

"I didn't think to realize that it wasn't you saying that to me until it was almost too late again. A spell that made you, though you, not you." He licked her forehead. "I love you Kagome. I want you to be safe, free. But don't leave me because you love me."

Kagome looked on at the creek. "Should go to sleep for a while."

Yoko looked down at her. "Kagome…"

She sat up finding it rather difficult from immobility, and looked at Yoko in his eyes for a long time. At him. She then wrapped her arms around him in an embrace and leaned on him, shed one tear letting it roll down his tunic as he licked the only other one away.

"I don't like missing you."

Yoko was not expecting that to come from her, and wasn't thinking her to word something that way. "What do you mean Kagome."

She tried hugging him a bit more, but couldn't. Her muscles were fine with it but her bones screamed for her to stop. She eventually found Yoko moving her arms from him and held her just letting her rest on him.

"I need y-"

Yusuke looked around as they ate, Shuichi finishing from roasting some meat. He didn't like to eat demon, but there wasn't much else around and Yoko had made him eat in on many occasions, before he could form his own body within him. He stood up.

"Stop eating now." He looked around. "We're surrounded."

Shuichi stood with the rest minus Shio. "How is that possible."

Yusuke frowned. "I've never sensed this type of youkai before, but still…They can hear us."

Nijuu growled some. "They're some type of cat and it's not a panther…"

Zokusai looked straight ahead into a set of eyes that apparently didn't think he could look at them. "Lynx youkai." He growled some. "They're quick and can jump better than Nijuu would like to currently dream of."

Yusuke spoke. "What the hell is a lynx?"

Shuichi spoke taking out a rose seed from his hair. "African animals that aren't normally pack hunters, meaning once again someone is organizing this and has unique resources that we don't know of."

Yusuke spoke. "Oi. If you're not from around these parts are you just eavesdropping for the fun of it how you get your kicks or you got something to say…I am waiting."

A demon, yellowish skin with brown splotches and larger ears than Yoko and large eyes and a slender tail with a tuff of fur at the end emerged. She shot a growl at Zokusai who was glaring at her.

"We're, looking for someone who was lost. Perhaps you could assist us in our search."

'Liar.' Yusuke looked at her. "Who did you lose."

The lynx looked the group over. Two kitsune, a human with some canine blood in him, and then three… She didn't know the type of demon they were, but the markings on them…. Ancient, power, cautious.

"She's another lynx, we came for vacation for some exotic" she shot a look at Zokusai. "_meats_ to try out, but she was separated-"

Yusuke looked dead at her. "-tell me what you're lying to me about and I'll make sure to kill you quickly and efficiently because I tire of your games lynx."

She growled at Yusuke. "Blunt. We were sent for a jewel of power and weren't told who exactly had it, just that a female did. The rest are extendable."

"Who told you this little task and what are you getting out of it."

She growled more showing her fangs, very large. "That's none of your concern demon."

Yusuke gave a gleam at her. 'She doesn't know what type of youkai I am.' "As you can tell we don't have a female in our group, but I have _no_ qualms in killing you where you stand."

She latched out at him. "No you die!"

Yusuke quickly raised his energy and punched the lynx straight in her face causing her to crash through a tree before turning around pushing off of a tree back into the cover of the jungle. Yusuke looked around.

"I can't sense them."

Zokusai growled bending his knees. "They're getting ready to pounc-"

Zokusai barked/growled as a lynx quickly jumped at him and he met the female in the air grabbing a hold and flipping her over him. The lynx landed on her feet, pushed off and charged at Zokusai who wasn't quick enough and was slashed across his face. He snarled and began his fight.

Kagome hesitated. She looked at Yoko and wanted to tell him everything. She had tried on times before. But she was still scared, of the world, of everything of nothing of him… Of him. She loved him, more than he would ever know, more than words could describe, but she was afraid. And that word itself… She wanted to touch him, to assure him it was okay. To love him like she wants to love him. And how he was looking at her now…

Kagome barley opened her mouth and hesitated again. "I need-"

Yoko watched as she struggled that much to say something to him. He gently kissed her growling a bit because she was _still_ in heat but ignored it. He wanted for her to tell him, but not for her to fight herself this much to.

'You always look smaller than you really are to me when you're struggling with something.' He kissed her gently again. "Let it go."

Kagome still looked at him. "I believe you Yoko." She kissed him. "But sometimes, I need you."

Yoko noticed that she kissed him with hunger and wasn't sure what she was getting at. "I don't understand."

Kagome bit her lip then kissed him, wanting him, hearing him growl. She gently laid him onto his back and kissed him again, more, and tugged on his tunic when she felt his hand on her wrist preventing her from going further. She looked at him again, bit her lip, again, and kissed him.

"Not even like that Yoko. This isn't about that." She kissed him again. "I just need you…"

Once Kagome's shirt went over her head again she looked in front of her seeing two demons that she had never seen before, the type, in front of Yoko less than a meter from his face. Yoko didn't move as he looked down at the dark blond set of demons. One smiled at him revealing long fangs. They both stood upright and had a tail with a tuff of furr at the end. Their skin was a light brown.

"Kitsune. We've been watching you for a while and thought that you were just going to fuck that" he licked his lips. "delicious bitch in heat ice and fire set aside, but you." He laughed some. "I think you might actually like the bitch."

Yoko growled at the demon showing his teeth. "Refrain from calling _my mate_ a bitch when she clearly is not."

The demons chucked some with the other male speaking. "Fine fine. Regardless watching you in action with your cunt gave us quite a show. I, doubt now that I've found out that useful information that you'd let us borrow her for a while…But we're not really here for that, side bonus."

Yoko looked at them closer. 'Lion demons.' "State your business."

The first smiled. "Manoka wants some shinny jewel and told us she has it and we have no problem in killing you to get to her."

Yoko glared at them. "Fine."

Kagome looked around as Yoko began fighting the demons, to which the type she couldn't tell. But they weren't from around here and they appeared to be feline of some sort. She didn't have the sense of smell they did, but right now it didn't matter. Something felt wrong and the only thing she could smell was the scent of her and Yoko rutting. When she turned around to see two eyes looking dead at from from the brush directly behind her.

Yusuke didn't like it as he fought. 'They're quicker than I am this close up with not a lot of space and I can't use all of my energy with everyone around or I'll just blow them away.' He decked a lynx in front of him. 'But if I try to get out of this mess they let me go and don't follow, leaving the rest to get slaughtered and they can't give me space either because they follow. And they know this and planned this. And they're damn cats they can smell Kagome hasn't been here for a while why didn't they just go after them? Because I would be able to sense Yoko fighting and he's not. How damn far away are they not to sense this?'

Katsumo noticed his father frustrated that he couldn't use more of his energy to quickly finish this but also knew, from trying, that they couldn't separate themselves from the lynxes. Having an idea he eventually fought his way over to his father and spoke in some language he had taught him that neither used often, just seemed…More natural to them.

"Dad these things can jump, Nijuu's a fool we can get him to jump up in the air as an open target and hope two of the damn lynxes jump up so that you can just fire a gun at them and kill them quickly before they get to him."

Yusuke nodded. "Do it and some how discreetly tell Nijuu. These things can hear better than they can."

Katsumo rolled under a massive thorn that seemingly grew out of no where and noticed Nijuu losing his battle against the two lynxes that were attacking him one after another. He punched the both of them off and spoke quickly.

"Jump and do not move around crazily as high as you can."

Nijuu remembered his lesson that knowing his father still wasn't over with and as soon as Katsumo nodded in the distance fighting three lynxes he jumped up. Seeing the leaves quickly go past him before he could get far he noticed two lynxes, the same two annoying him from before, on both sides of him as soon as he cleared the tree tops-

And two powerful compact precise jakai guns form Yusuke oblerating them with a quick shrill shout followed by a few drops of blood from himself dropping to the ground. He smirked as he landed in a tree. He was glad he listened otherwise he really would have been dead.

Yusuke looked out of the corner of his eye seeing Nijuu land and spoke. "Zokusai find your father _now_."

Zokusai growled at the lynx in front of him and lunged forward almost in a pounce only to have the cat pounce on him snickering and jumping back. Allowing Nijuu from his tree branch to pounce on the lynx. He turned into his kitsune form and ran off.

Yusuke looked around. Six lynxes, four on his side and him.

'I need more space.' "Nijuu Katsumo take Shio and Shuichi out as soon as you can, find a safe area" he decked another lynx daring to pounce on him. "and guard them."

Yusuke glared at a lynx that had managed to swipe across his back and held his anger in check. He saw Nijuu jumping away, or trotting- getting away with agility holding onto Shio and Katsumo running off quickly with Shuichi. Yusuke smiled that of a warrior eyes narrowing some. It was clear.

Yusuke raised his aurora around him easily punching into the skull of a lynx in front of him tossing the body into two moving at him quickly. He turned around sending a shotgun at the three to his left effectively killing them wasting no energy then turned to the three in front of him, punched one down kicked another through a set of trees not sure if the lynx would stop moving alive or not and sent a small jakai gun at him and snapped the neck of the third. Seeing the one he punched down trying to run off he easily ran in front of her forcing her down and stood on her stomach pressing down harshly causing her to shout.

"Tell me something good or I will kill you."

The lynx shouted out. "I'll do whatever you want demon- master yes that's it master whatever you want just spare my life!"

Yusuke put more force on the stomach getting blood to come out of her mouth. "Useful information now."

The lynx hassled to breathe. "We were told by a panther demon named Manoka, she's somewhere in Japan we don't- I don't know we couldn't pronounce the name of the place but we sensed that she was hiding from us. Before we started stalking your group we found out that Manoka is working for a human that has power-"

Yusuke saw the lynx about to flex her muscles to claw at him and quickly applied more pressure having his foot go through her body, dead. He flicked the blood off of his foot hearing his 'father' laughing at him in his head, grumbled to himself and took off after Zokusai.

Kagome let out a shout having a lion pounce on top of her. She hit the ground harshly feeling her ribs stressed from a full sized female lion on top of her and saw the paw raised in a swipe ready across her chest as a large five tailed fox pounced on top of the lion knocking her quickly off of the small fire ice demon immediately biting down at the neck and after a few moments had a mouth filled with blood as the lioness demon let out a faint roar and died.

Kagome fell down standing on her third try to see Zokusai with his normal predatory red eyes locked onto the soon to be dead female lion he was larger than and on top of. She stood quickly rolling out of the way seeing another female lion that looked almost the same as a non demon lion slash at her head. She got up gritting her teeth finding the lion much quicker than her and much larger. She tossed a ball of ice at the lion running at her finding it to swat it out of her face and have it stuck on the bottom of the paw. Kagome quickly ran at the lioness instead and rolled under her digging her claws into its side and going down around the underbelly to the other side. The lion let out a loud roar and swatted at Kagome having her quickly put up a block and cursed feeling her right arm snap as another lioness pounced on her from behind. Her shout was absorbed by the grass feeling her ribs about to give way when Zokusai once again pounced onto the lioness on top of her.

Zokusai quickly got in front of his mother snarling at the now two lionesses in front of him. He saw from behind his mother, dwarfed in comparison, standing behind him and didn't like the smell of blood coming from her. He growled something at her forgetting she couldn't understand him and soon saw the lioness on his left attack at him. Having to meet it head on he slashed at the lioness the same time she did getting knocked to the other one and felt the lion try to bit around his neck. He growled louder instead of letting out a yelp and bit at her front paw infusing it with fire causing her to roar. He quickly got upright neck bleeding seeing the other lioness to pounce on him. He rolled with it and flipped her over him and ran after his mother only to find a javelin incased in fire spear through the back leg of the lioness behind him. He slashed with fire at the back legs of the one almost attacking his mother, her choosing to protect him instead knocking her aside getting in front of his mother once again. But this time, his father still in his humanoid form was next to him. A male lion, upright, laughed.

"Now this is something you don't see everyday. Someone defending trash getting taken out." He snickered some with blood on his claws and a very deep slash in Yoko's chest. "I'm not sure if I'd have a use for fox pelts but I can surely sell them none the less-"

Zokusai attacked on his father's call while Yoko quickly grew a small death tree inside of the lioness his mate had already injured. Hearing the creature roar out in pain as he infused more of his energy into it he used his other hand to keep the male lion back with the rose whip when a blur suddenly came past and the lion fell dead, a large hole through his chest in two areas. Yoko saw Yusuke move onto the lioness Zokusai was fighting easily killing her then slowed down and went in front of him.

"Where's the rest."

Yusuke looked seeing Kagome behind Yoko breathing very slowly arms looking worthless and Yoko himself bleeding heavily from his chest and hoped that it didn't go through his ribs. He couldn't tell with Zokusai.

"I told Katsumo to find a safe place out of the jungle, something's not right about it." He walked ahead. "Okay."

Yoko growled some. He wasn't sure how that lion temporarily bested him to get a slash this deep on him. He heard the slow, loud breathing coming from his mate and didn't want her to walk, but couldn't carry her without killing himself, and knew she _would_ do something stupid if he died and didn't want her to be left alone. And he would have had his son carry her…

Yoko went over to Zokusai trying not to whine. He looked up moving some of the tree branches aside to get moon light in the area and saw that his neck had teeth marks all over it, as if someone had tried suffocating him but he got out of it. But not quick enough. His body was injured all over as well and smelled more of feline blood than his own, astonishing enough considering his injuries, all over. He was proud of this son.

"Catch up with your mother and Yusuke."

Yusuke saw Zokusai trot up next to his mother and still couldn't tell how injured he was. After about ten minutes he saw Yoko next to him and without even looking could tell he was injured far more than he let on and wondered how powerful the other cats would have been at first. The lynxes were all about a very very high B class, maybe low A class, they were easy for him.

'Laugh it up old man. I was starting to like killing them and was going to probably do some messed up crap to that one lynx.' He grumbled to himself. 'And yes I heard you laughing…'

Yoko heard Yusuke mutter something about an old bastard and ignored it. They couldn't travel far tomorrow, the way Yusuke briefly spoke it seemed as if he was the only non injured one. The only injury he did see on him…Was a scratch that left welts across his face. The rest were light scratches from twigs and a bruise on his arm. He was Toushin after all.

When the finally exited the jungle after what seemed two hours they walked for about forty minutes and came to a very small forest. Three minutes into it they saw a small house and entered with Yoko shaking his head.

The rest were injured and waiting around for further instructions with Shuichi unable to stay awake, being mainly human, and Nijuu cleaned and bandaged. "Kit you truly can't go for five minutes being dirty."

Nijuu looked up at his father as Shio, still unable to walk, sat next to Katsumo trying to bandage him making it clear that the unconscious one was the only one who knew how to. "Father I know I should have waited but I had blood on me in many areas and dirt. The only thing Shuichi said before he passed out was that he could not stay awake any longer and to try to be smart and stay alert inside of the house. But when he said that I wasn't inside of the house yet so I cleaned first."

Yoko growled at him and Yusuke spoke. "This thing doesn't have piping or something." He sighed. "Tough it out, clean in the morning. You all gonna live or what?"

Katsumo spoke keeping his eyes closed as Shio wrapped his leg missing a large amount of skin and muscle. "We're fine and does he know what he's doing?"

Yusuke hit him on the head. "Heck no and all three of you go to sleep." He turned seeing Yoko walking outside with Zokusai still in fox form and turned seeing Shuichi awake. "Yo."

Shuichi woke up after hearing Yoko in his head and saw Kagome glaring at him and briefly closed his eyes. 'Separated and he still controls my life. And Kagome clearly knows why he woke me up.' "Hello Yusuke." He looked around seeing a small area in the one room house that had a wall that gave some privacy. "Would you please come with me Kagome."

Yoko led his son to a small pond behind the house a few minutes off seeing him struggling to even walk on all fours now.

"Change back."

Zokusai did so with a growl directed at no one. Yoko looked him over as he took of his shredded clothing and cleaned him off. Aside of what was left of his neck he had gashed all over and his legs were missing a large amount of muscle, and it looked as if an animal ate at his stomach some. After about four minutes he saw him sleeping, not unconscious and did what he could for him. He made two bucket leaves and filled them with water and growled some. Zokusai opened his eyes still on his side and looked at his father.

"Take these back to Shuichi."

Shuichi was desperate for Kagome to black out. He was fine doing so, wanted to help her and didn't really know why she didn't like him at all, but having her look dead at him and not even in a glare was too much for him right now. And he was tired. He took off her pants now having her completely nude-

'They rutted just before the attack-'

Zokusai growled at him setting two leak proof buckets of water down and promptly went to sleep away from the others. Shuichi let out a sigh turning one of the handles back into the original plant and attached it onto a large exposed gap in Kagome letting it feed off of her causing her to black out. He cleaned her off using a leaf to scrape the semen off of her inner legs that had dripped out knowing Yoko would normally never leave it there because he would never leave something so valuable laying around. He felt up her inner thigh for any more fractures only finding one and set a small plant then felt up the middle of her stomach for cracks in her ribs and stopped just under her right breast feeling a rib almost protruding. He pushed down on it hoping it would heal come morning time. He felt down her left side stopping numerous times to help heal her body. When he eventually made it down towards her hip and stomach he paused seeing an odd bruise on her stomach and felt its outline.

"There's something inside of her."

Yoko had been looking over his shoulder for about five minutes and had spotted it as well. "What is it."

"I couldn't tell without removing it, but doing so now wouldn't be wise." Shuichi put her shirt back on from a plant that was holding it up to dry then her mended pants that were clean as well and took the remaining bucket to clean himself with. "Thank you."

Kagome woke smelling everyone in the house clean and smirked on the inside figuring Nijuu took another bath. She then, on Yoko's lap who was still asleep, looked up at the sun from the window-

Kagome got off of Yoko worried even more. He _always_ woke the moment she moved from him even if it were a rare occasion that he slept longer than her. Which only happened when he was injured. But she could only see on bandage, across his chest. Seeing everyone else back asleep, truly asleep and Yusuke on watch, asleep as normal, she went outside.

Yoko opened his eyes feeling Kagome off of his lap and standing in a corner away from everyone eyes closed, clearly awake. And he looked down to the side seeing a pile of cut and cleaned meat on a broad leaf. He looked at her. He didn't tell her he was this injured because he didn't want to worry her, and he didn't want to have her do anything with her being injured either but she had.

'How does she always get past Yusuke?'

Yusuke came back in with ragged meat for everyone to eat save Kagome and Yoko, with a small cooked pile for Shuichi. He saw Yoko look at him and chose to ignore his glance. He really _didn't_ know that Kagome just woke up and went past him sleeping. He spoke figuring Shuichi would either hear of it later or was faking being asleep…Would hear of it later.

"The lynxes said that they were hired by some panther demon named Manoka but felt that she was lying to them and something to do with a human before I killed her."

Yoko looked at yusuke, seeing Kagome with her eyes still closed. "The lion had informed me arrogantly without any pressure that Manoka wanted the jewel. She is a panther demon that's contracted by the people that have been in the group of humans that control the dark tournament for the past two centuries."

Yusuke spoke. "So then you know where to find this Manoka then?"

Yoko growled some. One of his wounds was almost burning. "No, but since your dark tournament Yusuke some fled, others died. Only two are still alive. One isn't in Japan, the other is in Tokyo and owns half of the city. The half Sesshomaru doesn't." He saw Yusuke didn't know. "Sakio."

"Wait, Koenma back then even confirmed that he was dead. When we knew Koenma was Koenma and not one of them four."

"And Sakio also has a wield of influence for being a mortal human, to which he is."

"And we're still positive that Rekai is still temporarily broken and can't hunt us down for killing humans."

"Rekai is still out of commission unless the barrier falls or something large as that. Sakio will have his own repercussions if we kill him." Yoko closed his eyes. "Which is why we wait until we are completely healed then go to him, when we can hope to make our living debut and that the shadow demons were either by coincidence or didn't make it back alive."

Yusuke waited for a while before speaking. The rest started to wake up, eat, and go back to sleep minus Zokusai.

"He gonna be okay."

"He's regaining his energy, he'll be fine with some time."

Yusuke still looked at Yoko. "Hey I'm still learning from you. You are older than everyone in this room put together at least tri fold. We're about one hundred fifty years or so together and you're at least six hundred." Yusuke had a smirk on his face. "Robbing the cradle there Yoko. Can be her Daddy too-"

Yoko sighed and Kagome blushed some and he decided to ask. "Every time you bring up Kagome and my ages and compare me to being _that_ to her is the only time probably in her life that she's ever blushed."

Yusuke laughed some. "That is something between me and Kagome here she told me once a long time ago when we had… Actually not too long after those two were born and Shuichi had to go to his university. And I had gotten back from a fight Koenma sent me on and foolishly got injured and she used some makai plants that were lying around remembering you told her they were good for pain relief, but she made the tea _way_ too strong and I got high off of drinking it and she got high from the fumes." He smiled at Kagome who still had her eyes closed. "When she said something. I was the one talking like a fool the entire time and am damn glad she never told Kieko any of it. She was perfectly fine really, like she is now. Just that from no where she said that, I brought up ages, she blushed and laughed a bit then excused herself."

Yoko smiled at Yusuke. "Tell me."

Yusuke laughed some. "You are hooked on this! But I can't! It's gonna die with the both of us." Yusuke wondered outside. "I'll be back. Know you foxes except for the broken Nijuu don't eat in front of people that aren't blood and Kagome just doesn't eat in front of people." He stuck his head inside of the open window next to Kagome. "Later Daddy."

Yoko saw the blush spread across Kagome's face and her walk towards the small private section of the house and sit down. Yoko smiled. He somehow managed to love her more every day-

"You need to eat."

Yoko looked up at her. "I like eating, Kagome."

Kagome sighed standing in front of him. "Stop thinking about rutting, don't do anything like that ever again and eat." She set a bucket of clean water next to him and walked off. "Now."

Nijuu woke up and let out a loud yawhn, smiled at the pile of food in front of him and started eating. He noticed Katsumo look up at him.

"What?"

Shio tried standing only to have Katsumo set him down. "You can't walk yet so don't…Because you're a dufus-"

"-I'm not a dufus Nijuu's a dufus-"

"-I'm not a dufus Shio really is you know that-"

"-okay." Katsumo cut them all off, including himself. "Some in this room are still sleeping."

Shio looked around finishing his food. Shuichi was still asleep as was Yoko, both had waken up. Kagome was awake or half asleep. His father wasn't in the room. He looked at Katsumo.

"Hey brother was this house abandoned or was the owner just not in."

Katsumo looked around. "The owner wasn't in. You guys should all eat and rest up. We'll probably move out as soon as Shio can walk"

Nijuu licked his claws clean. "Yeah I still kinda feel like dead meat." He curled up on his side. "Later!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kagome opened her eyes from her nap seeing Yoko, once again, truly asleep. She almost frowned. How injured was he? Shaking her head before she started thinking on it she stood walking around finding her legs perfectly fine as were her ribs. They had been in the house for three days and Yoko nor Zokusai had moved much. Shio could stand, but his knees…They weren't quite there yet. He would be fine by tomorrow, when Yoko had apparently woken up the few times she slept and told Yusuke that. She wanted him to rest longer.

'Meaning he already knew I was almost completely healed.'

Kagome lifted her arms above her head not feeling much pain. The only thing that was really bothering her was the stupid thing inside of her, it made her eat even less than she normally did, which was making her malnourished. She walked outside as Nijuu went out for another bath averaging two a day, it was a cool night, and tomorrow they would be heading into Ningenkai.

Shuichi walked around, deciding to check into the Tokyo office at his job having a small amount of spare time, and then went into an internet café. He searched for a few things, received a few phone calls, went back into his office building and went to the roof seeing the rest there.

"Sakio is inside of the Nokia corps building, with the large Nokia symbol on top of it. Floor forty three room eleven, which is the exact middle room on the north side. I figure I'll be going in and the rest will be eave dropping in various locations?"

Yoko looked around, he hated being in human cites, the pollution was a bother. "Go ahead, he'll most likely know you're not alone regardless."

Shuichi, wearing a business suit making sure to take off any company identifying marks from his own company, and exited the elevator finding a security guard that he was sure was half demon. He just had a sense of it.

"You haven't been notified of sir I'll have to ask you to turn around."

"Really. Are you sure you haven't received a phone call, my name might be difficult to pronounce. May I give you a card?"

The guard nodded and Shuichi approached and extended his arm towards his neck as a gas came out of his sleeve. He caught the guard letting him lean against the wall and returned the plant to a seed, took the key card from the guard opening the door.

The long black haired human with a scar across his right eye turned from his small office for someone with such power and looked up. It was basic. Red curtains, near white carpet, a few plants and a large desk in the center.

"Shuichi. Is there something that I can help you with at this moment."

"I'm looking for someone you employ by the name of Manoka."

Sakio went towards something on his laptop. "Why."

"I heard she was working for one of the heads during the dark tournament and figured you would know more about that." Shuichi saw him look up at him again. "And why."

"You're not a part of the spirit fox any longer, you have your own body why does this interest you when you could walk away from this."

"Call it the fox that was in myself keeping me curious."

"Why don't you ask what you truly want to know so that I don't have to guess and save the both of us and your traveling companions time."

"Why are you doing this. What's your involvement."

"To be honest I was contacted by someone who decided it best if I sent someone to kill you and the people you travel with. I lied to Manoka, who said something to those she told who I was not a part of, who came to me asking if your travel companion had the small jewel, which made them all the eager." He stood. "I'm not at all connected to who you're looking for and personally I don't keep track of them." He shoved a small card across the table. "If it will assist you in leaving me alone for a prolonged period of time here's the most current information of the other living member."

Shuichi picked up the card. "Nagasaki."

"Saito also has his demon counter part in that area of Japan as well, and I'm for certain who contacted me contacted him as well." He saw the look Shuichi was giving him. "If you don't trust me trust the fox that was once in you because even if he is outside right now with the noise I know he can still hear inside. The windows aren't _that_ thick Yoko."

_'He's not lying. Take the information and go.'_

Shuichi looked at him. "Why aren't you though. Chance for more power when the next plan didn't go as schedule."

"I took my losses and focused from then on out on ningenkai and the only reason that I still associate with youkai now is because I did in the past. I almost died, I don't wish to be killed." The door opened behind him. "Leave now."

Shuichi took a cab to the outskirts of town going inside of the Makai portal where everyone but Yoko was, who was the only one who had tailed him. After about five minutes the white fox came through and Shuichi spoke.

"Nagasaki, ningenkai and makai. Sakio was being honest with what he was saying."

Yoko looked at him after getting a nod from Yusuke. "Take Shio with you, make him human decent and investigate Nagasaki through Ningenkai. You'll get there before the rest of us, do not do anything aversive and wait at a portal."

Shio smiled. "Sounds fun."

Yusuke hit him on the head. "Don't even think about it." He waited until the two were in the portal. "You really think Ningenkai'll have that much trouble if Shuichi isn't digging into it?"

Yoko looked at Nijuu bounding on with Katsumo, Kagome and Zokusai. "I couldn't send Nijuu and Shio so separating the two would be the next best option. And if Nijuu hadn't tails and ears and claws I would have sent him." He saw Yusuke laughing. "I'm being quiet honest."

Yusuke still laughed. "That's the best part!"

Yoko started walking. "As well, there might be some trouble even if he isn't looking for it. Katsumo will need the makai training at this point now more since Shio and Nijuu can't seem to focus.'

Yusuke smirked seeing Nijuu jump over Kagome. "Don't you love being a real parent Yoko?"

Kagome walked on ignoring Nijuu's mindless chattering as normal. Searching Ningenkai would be a lot more extensive and time consuming than makai, they had time to walk. Of course Nijuu to manage to piss off Katsumo enough to get him to chase him and they had to catch up to them since they were in a dirt area where Yoko couldn't restrain them both with a plant. There had only been one demon attack, and a stupid one at that. A flock of weak birds, not even after her, but after them all for invading their territory. She sat back with Katsumo looking to his father and let him take care of it for himself. He didn't even get a scratch.

The could go further without resting without Shuichi, but not by much. The three children were still growing and needed to sleep more…Katsumo and Nijuu needed to sleep more, she was worried that Sesshomaru had gotten Zokusai out of that as well. After each and their own hunting, herself killing a very small lesser snake demon not even able to finish that, they continued walking. She looked up turning around to where Yoko was, smiled a bit, then turned around walking.

"Backwards PMS or something?"

Yoko smiled, even though she didn't see it. "PMS is not everything female related Yusuke and you know Kagome doesn't have, that, regardless. It's appreciated none the less."

"Good. You two _haven't_ rutted in the past… Actually since those felines came. Once again a bit of a stretch from you Yoko, but Kagome is a smart woman. I'm sure she knows how to use her own han-"

"-do not speak of such things and the way you speak you're more sex oriented of a mind than I am."

Yusuke smiled. "Probably am." He shouted ahead. "Oi! You think we get cell reception in Makai?"

Katsumo sighed ahead. "No father, and if we did Mother would kill you having a cell bill that high."

Kagome briefly glanced to the left. "Who wants the next one."

Nijuu jumped up. "Me me me I do I do!"

Kagome continued walking with the rest. "Wait." She looked up at the early sky seeing the stars. "We're just outside of Nagasaki _do not_ go on your own."

"Awh but Mom come –"

Kagome glared at him. "-no."

Katsumo spoke. "Are you cautious Kagome because of the area or because you're not sure what the demon is."

Kagome saw Yoko and Yusuke approaching now. "Because I can tell."

Nijuu closed his eyes for a moment still walking. "It's just…One crow demon Mom what's the deal?"

Yusuke smiled. "You can finally feel out a spirit you can't sense good job hyper." He saw Nijuu's right ear always bent bend more. "Means that they want us to go in, kill that one thinking we're unprepared for something stronger."

Yoko spoke slowing the walk of the group slightly. "Can you feel out the other spirits Nijuu."

"Uhhhh…"

Yoko briefly closed his eyes. "There are five panther demons and two hawks. This is a distraction."

Yusuke smiled. "This is a nice welcome then. If this is to throw us off…" Yusuke narrowed his eyes creating a small red glow on his finger tip quickly increasing it in size and fired, taking all eight out. "Then we should continue and meet them head on."

Nijuu spoke walking with his eyes closed. "You see that mountain up ahead Dad?"

Yoko didn't. "No and no one else can, you're feeling the spirit of the mountain. How strong is it."

"Uhm… Sorta like from our old house to where Shuichi normally works."

'He can sense that far but can't even feel out Shio's spirit.' "What is it."

"Not really the mountain." Nijuu growled some. "But there's a demon spirit that I can feel on the mountain. Like that white wolf from before."

"How like the white wolf."

"The same size aurora, but not like any wolf or coyote or fox… Just big like that and sorta like Mom a little bit when she's even."

Yoko spoke. "A large ice based creature. You'll start your training with earth elements once we've left this area of makai and ningenkai."

Nijuu made a face. "So I'm not gonna get to use plants like you?"

"You're spirit didn't call out to them but to things of the earth. Mountains, rocks, the ground."

Nijuu smiled big. "And the sky?"

"Unfortunatly yes."

Nijuu jumped up. "So it's okay then that I like jumping a lot!"

Yoko spoke. "Stop jumping, and since that is that far off then I suggest we rest, here, and now and head out early in the morning."

Yusuke followed with Yoko towards a small hill finding a small cave in the side of it. He noticed Yoko going to a separate cave within and sat against a wall playing a game with the rest, Kagome staring off outside. After a few hours she walked off seeing Yoko laying, asleep, on a bed of aloe. She stared at him for a while, smiled slightly and went back to-

"You don't have to leave on account of me being asleep love."

Kagome turned back around. "Go back to sleep."

"Then if you didn't want to disturb me gentle slumber why come."

Kagome walked up to him and knelt next to him seeing him open his eyes. "I haven't been around you for a while without others and just wanted to see where I want to be."

Yoko looked at her for a while. "There's so much about you that I don't know still."

"Not really."

"Then why is it that I don't know what you're feeling, thinking."

Kagome still looked at him. "Because I love you and want to protect you from as much as possible."

Yoko pushed her gently towards him with his tail and kissed her. "And I will mate."

Yusuke woke to the filtering out smell of sex in the cave seeing Yoko and Kagome already awake, sitting at the entrance to the cave and smirked.

"What, you two only went for two hours to catch up a little on sleep?"

Yoko turned around. "I'm hurt Yusuke to know that you think so little of me Yusuke. There will be a fight today less than three would be unacceptable."

Yusuke smirked. "Allright then." He raised his voice. "Wake up kids fightin' time."

Shuichi had immediately taken Shio to a place to get his hair cut. When they wanted to wash it, Shuichi quickly paid, not wanting to risk any water splashing onto the boy. Now, Shuichi woke up in the company loft that no one would be using for the next month, if they would even come to need it for that long. Walking over to make himself a cup of tea he heard a mumble from Shio and knew it was his time to wake. He spoke making a second cup of tea.

"You should get into the habit when you're not in Makai to drink tea in the morning. It will help calm your senses so that you don't wake up to the loud noises and the smell."

Shio grumbled downing the hot liquid, not being phased. "Yeah yeah. Just odd. Osaka when I had to go to school was more polluted than Nagasaki but here I'm all…" He sighed sitting down looking up at Shuichi. "Where are we searching for today, since that other dude left the exact moment we showed up."

Shuichi nodded in remembrance. The first day they had come into the city they went straight to get Shio's hair cut, making him into the spitting image of his father when he thought he was human. Without the hair cut and makeup they looked extremely similar as well. Then, straight to a tall building and went to the floor and room Sakio had given them information on. Shuichi scented as much as his feeble nose could and came up that he had left no more than five minutes ago. And he hadn't been back to the building. He took Shio to the company loft, slept up and basically looked around the city for anything unusual keeping focus on the office room, but nothing had come up.

"I suppose we could take this day to relax if Saito isn't making himself known to us."

Shio watched as Shuichi started to cook. "We've been here for like ten days, do you think my Dad and the rest are here in Makai?"

"Probable, if not they're nearing."

"You think they're getting into a lot of battles?"

"From Tokyo to Nagasaki most likely no, but since the demon counter part of Saito is there then once they approach I would think so."

"You think we'll get to fight here."

Shuichi was going to get Yoko for putting him with Shio, but he knew that he did it for reasons. 'Because I am the weakest, physically, of the group and Shio and Nijuu together would be even worse than the two of us alone. He was worried about my safety, why he told me to investigate and not thing more.' "With good luck no. We're only here to gather information."

"How long do you think it'll take for the rest to dig up stuff in Makai?"

"It depends on what they can find and how quickly they can do so."

"Can I go to an arcade and play video games later today?"

"That sounds fine. Don't go too far from the loft and just to the arcade."

"What do you-"

"-perhaps you should call your mother. I'm sure she'd like to hear how things have been from you."

Shio smiled, oblivious to Shuichi trying to shut him up, and took the cell phone from him and started to dial. He finished cooking about ten minutes later seeing Shio chatting away on the phone. Blood of one of the most powerful demons to have ever walked the earth flowing through his veins, full demon born from a human mother, knowledge that she would never know for her own sanity and well being. A growing power, a true Toushin in years to come, son of one of the most fierce demons alive now.

"Okay, bye Mommie."

Shuichi smiled setting the food in front of him as he read a newspaper. "Don't eat as if you've never eaten before."

Shio slowed down. "Apologize Shuichi."

"How's your mother doing."

"She's good work's slow so she had more time with Katsumi. Picks Souta up from his school and is glad he knows some English so he can catch up easily and said my brother and I should have learned." He laughed some. "That's not likely at all. But yeah Souta walks to school in the morning, Mom takes Katsumi to work with her fearing leaving a demon baby with a nanny or baby sitter would be fatal, then picks up Souta from work, takes them to the park." He scoffed. "That boy's lost. No wonder why Dad calls him worthless."

"Just because your youngest brother will most likely never be a fighter does not mean he is worthless…Just, has a majority of your mother's tendencies."

He smiled, already finished. "Just means Katsumo and I are Dad's real kids and Souta's even weaker than you."

Shuichi had enough of the insolent child and stood walking off. "We're training today-"

"-Shuichi but you said-"

"-your father and Yoko both have tried teaching you through the years to listen to authority, instruction, lessons and you have failed to do so. You have more energy and strength than I do but that is nothing if you don't know how to use it and you are blind to your opponents. Why I _have_ defeated you in sparring before."

Shio stood following him, he wasn't getting out of this. "Strength is different than power…Is that why Kagome can take on demons bigger and stronger than her and is still alive today in seeing how half of the world wants her dead?"

Shuichi nodded. "Very good."

Shio smiled speaking about thirty minutes later walking into a forest. "Yeah she's really strong it's great she's the best."

Shuichi briefly turned around. 'I wonder what Yoko would do if he knew this boy has a crush on his mate. Of course, he's never been around a female demon for any extended amount of time.' "Come."

Walking through the early stages of the terrain in Makai, the group saw the land turn from desolate dirt, to lush grass with lakes and rivers and minimal demon attacks. To stone that led to light snow as they started their trek over the mountain. It was far too wide to go around, they would lose at least eight days of travel. As well, some of their group thought that 'a little cold and some stupid stones'll whip these kids into shape. If they die up here their fault… As long as it doesn't get any colder than this'.

Yusuke spoke next to Yoko as the snow hit him in the face. They had been on the mountain for two days now and seemed to be getting no where.

"I know we have to clear the mountain, and when my old man told me to get the hell out of ningenkai for a while for a sabbatical I went around this area. Is there some type of complex on the other side."

Yoko looked ahead seeing Kagome leading, with Nijuu bounding along besides her. "There's a massive forest that will take at least three days to clear and in the middle of it in a large cleared out section is a system of buildings. It's clear that a human built them. They've been there for quite some time. I suppose if this is demon and human interaction, they would be there."

"So we go in and what? Akumu and Chenja won't be in there, do we select out humans or…"

"In seeing as how we'll be entering a highly stacked complex who we are looking for will come to us after some time."

"What about Kagome."

"Going into there for her is just as safe as being with Shuichi now or standing on a pit of jagged rocks. The only difference is that I am here with her." He looked up seeing her pulling on Nijuu to get him to stop jumping. He, Yusuke, and Katsumo and Zokusai in the middle using his heating abilities, caught up to them. "What is it."

Kagome looked ahead. "The small mountain next to the one with a large hole in it." She waited for them to all look as the snow shifted directions. "That's an ice creature, not a mountain."

Nijuu shrugged. "I can't pinpoint stuff-"

Yoko gave him a look causing him to whine some. "If we can see it why doesn't it attack."

Kagome looked closer. "Saito didn't hire him. This is just his terrain." She started to walk off separate from the rest. "If he wakes when you pass near just tell him you're passing through, which you are. I'll be waiting on the other side of the mountain."

Yoko wasn't about to have her go off by herself even with her being perfectly capable. He took off after her leaving Yusuke to lead the children on his own. He smirked.

"Allright kits and punks alike." He turned to Nijuu. "Or both. Let's get down from this mountain and into some none freezing my ass off weather so I can get something in my stomach."

Kagome could figure out that everyone but Nijuu knew that the ice creature would wake up the moment Kagome walked near. And would with Zokusai but they were really just passing, and he wasn't a half and half bastard. She easily jumped from peak to peak, ledge to shelf not wanting to fall behind. She was taking a much longer way to the base of the mountain, making sure to steer clear of the ice creature. As large as it was Yusuke might even have some trouble taking it down.

_Might_. She wanted to go alone, as always, but smiled some in sensing Yoko behind her, jumping with far more agility than she could hope for. Grace, accuracy, precision…

Yoko thought to her behind her seeing something about her aurora, that was normally hidden except in fights. 'You're thinking about rutting my love.'

Kagome sighed jumping up pushing off heading for the next ledge and hid her aurora. Letting it out was dangerous, _especially_ around him. They continued for about a day more when Kagome found a long path that would, with hope, take them to the next massive mountain then down to near where Yusuke would be in about half a day or so. She jumped from long ledge to long ledge for about two hours then quickly paused as did Yoko. Three demons, male, very pale with white hair, jumped to the ledge where Yoko stood next to Kagome and scowled at her.

"Move aside fox. We have come to kill this abomination."

"Do not call my mate something that she is not or I will kill you."

One glared at Yoko with almost white eyes. "This, _woman_ is you mate."

"I will not repeat myself to you or your company if you are deaf do not speak and ask for replies."

The demon nodded. "It is your decision to make. We leave you in peace."

Kagome blinked seeing the three snow demons jumping away. Yoko continued jumping, her now following him, as he spoke.

"They could have posed a threat if they chose to but recognized that I would have killed them." He saw her slightly confused. "Come along dear."

Yusuke watched in the distance as the ice creature sat down after they had completely left his territory. He stopped on the outside of the forest. Nijuu spoke looking around.

"Where'd they go?"

Yusuke smirked. "They're, warming up."

Nijuu shook himself off. "Can I go clean myself now?"

Katsumo saw his father laughing and sighed. "Come on."

Yoko walked back a few minutes later to the border of the forest, inside, where Yusuke waited. "Warming up?"

Yusuke smiled at him. "Well you were cold, right?" He shook his head. "Sleep up and head out in the morning."

Kagome sat alone away from the rest as normal. It was a few hours after dawn and figured they were all tired. They hadn't slept at all on the mountain, in fear of the 'dumber' younger ones not being able to tell when their bodies were too cold and would freeze to death. Only resting. She figured she was tired and in need of more rest. But besides the normal getting to her, something else was bothering her. She couldn't sleep more than a few hours, and shoved Yoko down for her not to sleep anymore and out of his hold. She looked over to where he was now, seeing him truly asleep and told Yusuke, who had actually staid awake, that she would keep watch now. She noticed Nijuu coming next to her and sitting down and waited for him to speak.

"Mom…I had a nightmare…Well I thought it was a nightmare but it seemed really real. And I haven't been to the places in my dream before or had ever seen anything like it. What do you think that means?"

"What did you see."

He looked at her looking ahead. "I was wondering alone in a large room of some sorts. The walls felt cold and there were humans and demons walking around. Even a half demon that was younger than Shio. And I continued down the hall and came into the room and there was a human that walked past and I felt really scared. I went inside and there was…Someone who sensed a lot like you Mom, but I couldn't see the person, he or she. Just a side, and a shadow. That one was speaking to someone else about a… I don't know but he she seemed angry. When that one moved and I saw him chained down. Then a demon that scared me as well walked up to him, punched him in the face and walked off. There was a serge of power, then I felt ill and woke up."

Kagome still looked ahead. "Tell your father when he wakes and separate him from Yusuke."

"But what do you think Mom?"

"It wasn't really you seeing that but you through some unknown spirit. The rest I'm unsure of." She looked at him and shook her head. "Go take a bath."

Yoko woke seeing Kagome sitting in a low tree branch with her eyes closed. He turned seeing the rest up already filled enough with food and looked seeing a pile of clean cut meat on a broad leaf and a large cup of water fashioned out of ice with a leaf around it so his hand wouldn't get cold. He smiled, ate, and stood seeing Nijuu in his face.

"I, uhm…"

Yusuke walked ahead. "Outta this one."

Yoko looked at him. "Think, speak."

Nijuu started to walk with him. "I woke up from a nightmare…And now I'm asking you."

Yoko looked at him for a while. "You didn't tell your Mother."

"I did and she said what I was seeing was through another spirit, like seeing through someone else. Didn't know anything else."

"She's correct. Someone would not waste time hoping to put an image into your mind if they don't know for sure if you exist. As well those are very… Dangerous tactics. Have you been practicing your mental barriers since I've told you how to while you're awake." He saw his son sheepishly smile. "If your mind comes under attack you will no longer think it funny or better to do something else."

"Okay Dad…What do you think the dream means."

"The only thing we're close to that you could have accidentally picked up would be at the compound ahead, you've seen inside already."

Nijuu made a face. "Not much. What was with the person sensing almost just like Mom?"

"Someone composed of conflicting nature. Keep up Nijuu."

Kagome stood just on the outside of the forest. There were a few demons lounging on the outside of the… The only thing she could call it would be fortress. And everything in her mind screamed at her not to go in, turn back, and find another way. And looking at Nijuu and Zokusai, who even he couldn't hide it, they felt the same way as well. And if her senses were telling her that much, then she knew. They were in the right place. Yusuke spoke next to Kagome.

"What's the fail safe device Kagome."

She still looked ahead. "You're going to make me annoyed and sick continuing on."

Yusuke gave her a look then saw Yoko next to her. "She's not being facetious. Go in with her up front, Katsumo and myself up south. You two will find a way in of your choice on the roof."

Yusuke patted Kagome on the back knowing he was the only one she would let touch her aside of Yoko and smiled. "Ready buddy?" he saw a small smirk from her and took off in a dead run, her close behind. "See you all inside!"

Nijuu and Zokusai saw Katsumo and their father going through the forest to the south of the building, quickly. He figured his father and brother would have been better for it, but that he, oddly enough, was better suited for his brother once they got inside and was certain only his father knew that. He saw his mother quickly killing however it came to her the sentries around the north of the building as Yusuke, literally seeing no door at all, began to punch through the wall, leaving his back and sides completely exposed. But then again, perhaps his mother was well suited with Yusuke. She darted about quickly on the roof, on the ground killing anyone who neared the Toushin. And those walls were _thick_. He saw his brother's eyes narrow some.

"He's almost made a hole in the wall. Probably magic enhanced otherwise it would have only taken two punches max. Once they're in we go straight ahead on the roof, you take the left, I have the right, go completely and steathly to the back then we met up and go in on the east side."

"Kagome now!"

Yusuke punched through the wall knocking down a large portion of it as Kagome jumped behind him with a dead bat demon falling to her side. She quickly fell behind Yusuke basically letting him blast down each hall, into each room, and killing the stray anything that managed to avoid something that destructive. Which had only happened once so far, and the human was asleep, or faking sleep faking to be innocent with a lying auroa. Yusuke ran into the room next to her.

"It's all clear. Wanna try the next hall over?"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm just following you and making sure to stay clear out of your way."

Yoko ran into the same problem he had seen Yusuke face earlier, no walls. Not sure and not wanting to test if Katsumo could do so he quickly grew out a plant with numerous stems coming from it letting it remove the section of the wall brick by brick as he and Katsumo started to kill those around it. Seeing the gap in the wall quickly materialize and sensing Zokusai now on the roof he went inside seeing the halls empty and formed an extremely long thorned rose whip.

"Do you wish to be challenged."

Katsumo looked directly at him. "Yes, let me."

Yoko nodded easily flicking his whip tearing through a human physic walking down the hall. "Take this entire hall and find me in the next. We work our way towards the center."

Katsumo looked as Yoko ran down the hall towards a set of double doors and soon heard the fighting commence. He _did_ notice that no one was in the halls and went into the first room quickly fighting. They weren't that powerful but then they weren't that weak. He sensed his father shooting jakai gun after each other into the rooms he entered. He didn't have that much energy and wouldn't… For a very long time. He smirked seeing three dead demons on the ground and ran for the next room. He'd have to thank Yoko later for this experimental time. If it was this easy for him and he was just a mid B class, then Yoko would be having no trouble and might even fall asleep.

Yoko entered the doors seeing the rest running in the opposite direction towards Yusuke's end, which at their speed would be about five minutes away. He flicked his whip noticing one, stupidly, shout out a death threat and was dead before he could finish. The hall was seemingly filled with nothing but low demons that looked like they had small spikes coming from their faces. Spike demons as they had always been known though weren't.

'Meaning the outsides have lower level demons and the closer to the inside… Zokusai. Please do not start in the center and think to work your way out and don't let Nijuu drag you into it either.' He growled to himself whipping through the low demons. 'Magic fills this place.'

Zokusai finished on his side of the roof and jumped back seeing the side rooks or tiny castle, things, having physics in them that were shooting bullets at him, Nijuu not yet visible to them. He couldn't jump that far from the main section of the complex. He jumped to a smaller building seeing no one on the roof guarding it, avoiding bullets then jumped up to a higher level building then across getting a bullet graze across his check into the tower. Easily slashing through them wondering if they were physic or just human… Though he had never seen a physic before until the Russian area and that was limited…

He went to the only other tower and by time he finished saw Nijuu done and waiting for him actually hidden very well on his own for him. "Where to now brother s-"

"-I told you before east side." He looked around seeing no one and jogged some towards the far east side of the massive roof, as far from the center as possible and eventually saw a hatch. He flipped down it landing on a crate in a dark room and exited letting his brother flip down. The hall was massive with a red carpet floor, plan grey walls, and doors, everywhere. "Take that side, do not play with them. I'll take this side and do not go on without me."

Yusuke was getting bored. The fortress was filled with weak demons that even Kuwabara if he were still alive wouldn't have much trouble taking out. Of course no where near as quickly as he was, but besides the point. Of course there was something waiting for him, them, later on, but right now.

Kagome smiled at him. "That bored?"

Yusuke smiled blasting another one off glad he had learned how to put the amount of energy, great or small, into them otherwise he'd waist energy on weaklings. "Heck yeah. Fourth hall, you've only killed _three_ and this place better not be this big for no good reason."

Kagome still kept close to him. "There's something in the next hall, what was making Nijuu edgy earlier on that will pose a problem because it reminds me of a monk."

Yusuke frowned. "Spiritual energy."

"It's not coming from a human though. I think that physic who used books learned what spiritual energy could be and set up a room filled with them. Be extremely cautious since if buddha they can repel attacks with enough energy." She saw the look he gave her. "They're not real and there are a lot of them."

Yusuke saw Kagome quickly throw an ice dagger into the head of a stray demon. "That's six right?"

"Four."

He smirked. "Let's go take out this book guy, but in seeing how valuable he is if he's still alive you know there's going to be a youkai-"

Kagome and Yusuke quickly jumped apart seeing a large section of the roof fall down where they just stood. Yusuke looked seeing a single monk wearing dark blue robes having a staff with one circle of sliver on top of it say a prayer as he ran towards one section of the wall quicker than Kagome or Yusuke now from that distance could send his way. The ofuda glowed. Yusuke, not liking it quickly took a step forward about to run when he hissed loudly having his arm singed and a dome of holy energy flashed around him. He tried blasting at it using more energy having the same result. He glared at the lone monk.

"Kagome what is this."

She looked around not noticing before, seeing the ofuda all along the room, some on the ceiling. "He placed the last ofuda making a boundary and infused it with energy. You have to destroy the ofudas, not the monk since the energy is already in them, and it goes away."

Yusuke was pist. "How do we do that trapped in here."

"We can't. We can't leave, they can't come in." Kagome looked down at herself. "demonic energy doesn't come in or through either."

Yusuke saw a candle in the distance. "Can you make that light burn one of them?"

Kagome saw how far away it was from her. "Demonic energy can't go through."

Yusuke saw the door opening in the distance. "Freeze the ground we're on. Not with a sheet of ice, just cold. Then I'll blast through the weaken ground and hope it doesn't harm us."

Kagome closed her eyes. "Give me some time."

A demon that looked fairly normal walked up to the barrier making sure to stand far enough away. "Look what a good physic has caught for us." He smiled. "A freak of nature and, wait, gasp, the all mighty Toushin."

Yusuke glared at him. "Would you like to see how mighty I am first hand or would you like to be killed first."

The demon smiled at him. "Toushin I do respect your power and know that I am no match for you, but, as long as you're inside of that…" He turned walking off. "I have nothing to worry about."

Yusuke saw the door close and saw Kagome with her eyes still close and the area increasily getting colder. "Can you tell if it is just one monk."

"One, powerful. Won't be difficult."

Yusuke saw some ice particles form on his ankles. "I am getting cold."

"Please have patience Toushin."

Yusuke sighed realizing how he must have sounded. After a while he saw Kagome open her eyes and nodded at her to move behind him as he sent a single small blast down causing the ground to collapse in on them. Yusuke looked around seeing Kagome behind him, seeing only darkness. He didn't sense anything. He didn't want to leave the monk there for the rest but ran in the direction of choice towards the center hearing Kagome following her. There wasn't anything else he could do ab-

"-Stop!"

Yoko's ears locked onto the sound of a shout from the last person he would have expected. Worry filled him as he continued through weaker demons.

'If Yusuke was injured that much to shout…'

Kagome quickly raced in front of Yusuke glad he wasn't going as fast as he could and put up a large ice shield in front of herself pressed against him as something she could only sense crashed through it. Kagome was quickly knocked down with a shout and Yusuke was left with only a small ice shard in his leg as he jumped to the side. He heard a small shout from Kagome followed by a cry from her, followed by another, and another, and another-

"Damnit Kagome you shouldn't have gotten in the way!"

Yusuke had no idea where she was. Her cries made it seem as if she were getting flung about the room-

Yusuke was eventually knocked down into a wall and let out a loud shout feeling something going through him. He coughed up some blood hearing Kagome no longer shouting and felt around himself, slightly numb, feeling a skinny long protruding object going though his stomach. He pulled himself out of it feeling something tearing inside of him and heard a loud shriek come the demon attacking them, heard a splatter of blood and soon saw the entire back wall behind him after a loud 'move' from Kagome on fire.

Adjusting his eyes quickly he saw a large bear with an ice dagger on fire burning in the side of the bear demon with glowing red eyes. How it could easily see and the rest of them could not. He quickly sent a blast at the bear that took it with a shake of the head and let out a roar when he noticed he couldn't see Kagome anywhere.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Yoko was not feeling secure about his mate at all. She was in pain, and Yusuke was almost as pist as he was when fighting the four demons and the one that had messed specifically with Kieko. But he knew if she stood a chance, more than himself though he didn't like saying so, it was with Yusuke. And he knew he would do everything but die for her, because that was only reserved for his mate.

Yusuke growled and knew what was happening to him as the bear continued to attack him. His markings were more prodimant without even looking at them, his eyes were red and his hair had a few white streaks in it. He toned down the white streaks in his hair hearing his old man laughing at him and was not about to have him take over. The one and only time it happened… He had no qualms with killing, but what he did through his own body…

Yusuke looked dead at the bear. "Throw up my friend in your belly or you will die a long drawn out excruciating in pain death."

The bear demon roared at Yusuke, which was a mistake, and in a few seconds with a few punches was on its side. Yusuke punched it in the head a number of times until a sick crunch was heard and moved to where the belly was, punched into it slightly then again with his other hand and ripped the flesh out. He saw with the fading fire in the distance, not sure what it burned on in the first place, Kagome come pouring out covered in digesting food, stomach acid and her own blood coughing. He picked her up quickly running out of the room and went for about a minute until he saw a sink and began to clean her up not wanting the acid to start on her. He lowered his energy, some, and spoke ripping a table cloth into pieces taking her clothes off pouring water on her.

"Damn idiot what the hell do you think you were doing Kagome!" He sighed seeing her exgusted, still coughing. "Stop putting everyone in front of you, I would have been fine."

She smiled looking up at him taking care of her quickly and roughly. "Liar."

Yusuke gave her a look. "Are you going to be okay."

She coughed up some blood onto his shirt noticing the hole in his stomach, bleeding. "Are you?"

He growled some. "I'm _honestly_ fine with this. Quick bandage." He pulled a chuck of bone, not hers, out of her calf getting a hiss. "Sorry."

She still looked at him, after wiping her clean, quickly using the table cloth making small ties all over her body, as if the bear just clawed at her heavily in areas leaving others fine. Concentration and care.

"Thanks."

Yusuke calmed down almost completely and smiled some. "You too."

Zokusai was not liking it at all. Since the first call there hadn't been a single demon, only physics. And now…

Nijuu trotted up to him morphing out of it and spoke now on two's. "Hey brother? You getting that bad feeling again?"

Zokusai growled going further down the next empty hall they had encountered. "We're almost at the center, and _yes_."

Nijuu followed next to him. "You know that dream I was telling Dad about in the morning? This is the hall way I saw." He pointed. "That's the only painting I've seen in this building."

Zokusai stopped. "We wait for the rest."

Nijuu had a bad sense about it. "I don't think we should be in this hall at all though."

Zokusai looked around and walked a bit further. He went into a hall they hadn't been in before seeing a hole in the ground and waited for a brief moment then sniffed and jumped down the hole.

"I can smell Yusuke, we'll wait with him."

Nijuu continued behind him. "Okay brother." He growled at the dead demon and figured it had pist off Yusuke. "Gross."

Zokusai trotted down the hall on two feet and soon slowed down and opened the door-

"-Oi! You two need to learn how to knock unless you want to see your _mother _naked all the time!"

Zokusai closed the door with Nijuu red in the face slightly. "Sorry!"

Kagome was resting on Yusuke letting him hold her not caring who came in. She needed a small rest and was actually quite comfortable. She looked up seeing Yusuke inhale her scent.

"I calm you down."

He smiled at her. "Yeah. Friends do that for me and since it would be odd right about now if I were holding Yoko…" He gave her a hug. "Besides you're softer, hotter, and I can see three things I like right now."

Kagome sighed knowing she was still naked save all of his ties. "Fine."

Yusuke smirked. "You already know you're hot- Oi!" he turned to the door not believing the two- Zokusai would forget to scent before opening. "You two need to…"

Kagome watched as the door closed and stood looking around. Her clothes were past ruined.

"Got any ideas." She saw the look Yusuke was giving her. "No."

He chuckled some. "Fine fine." He put his shirt on her. "Stops just under your ass. Let's go find a dead person and steal their clothes."

Zokusai watched as his mother left, wearing only the Toushin's shirt not covering her legs followed by the Toushin. He was going to find his mother something to wear before they came across his father.

Nijuu, on the other hand was wide eyed. "Wow Yusuke! You got hurt!"

Yusuke put his finger into the hole going through him. "Yup." He walked wrapping himself. "Run into your Dad yet?"

Zokusai walked ahead back to the room with the dead bear. "He's coming this way-"

"-how'd you get down here."

Nijuu spoke. "Big hole jump in, why?"

Zokusai spoke annoyed at him. "The room was filled with holy senses and I killed a monk a while back."

Yusuke jumped up wincing landing on his feet seeing Kagome… And jumped back down and jumped up with her before one of her sons could. They went into a hall and Yusuke smiled.

"Shopping time. But then you like doing that as much as I do."

Kagome would probably vomit if she bended over about now. Yusuke went ahead, found the first demon he came across and took of the pants and shirt with one hole in it at the stomach and gave it to her. Nijuu and Zokusai turned around as Kagome took off Yusuke's shirt and Yoko and Katsumo entered the hall way. Yusuke smiled ignoring Yoko growling at him.

"Yo! See you two made it out just fine."

Katsumo looked straight down hearing the threat in Yoko's growl even if his father was Toushin. "Let's go."

Yusuke figured he knew what Yoko was angry at him at and shrugged it off. "Not like it's anything I haven't seen be-"

"- Toushin I said let's go."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. Kagome had finished putting on the pants and ripped the bottom of the extra long shirt making it into a belt. He'd have her calm Yoko down later, but first.

"No one else ran into any trouble."

Katsumo spoke. "There were only low level demons and easy to take out human physics."

Nijuu was not comfortable. "And some normal humans."

Katsumo noticed it. "What's wrong with you."

Zokusai answered for him. "He had a dream this morning and we're in the same hall the dream took place. They all _do_ look alike but this is the only hall we've come across that had a painting in it. And we both have a really bad feeling about going towards the center."

Yoko looked at Nijuu. "We're in the right direction." Yoko sighed seeing Yusuke still looking at him. He knew he hadn't done anything, and shook his head. "What about you two."

Yusuke spoke seeing Yoko now understanding. "Same ole for a while then there was a supped up monk from that physic that can make pictures in books real. Then a bear demon that was probably a low S class."

Hearing Yusuke say it so causally made Yoko wonder if Yusuke even knew the depths of his own power. 'When he was fighting all of the four youkai and Sensui he couldn't unlock all of his power. And he's been training. But if that didn't even phase him…' "Then how'd you get injured."

Yusuke shrugged. "There was no light and I couldn't see or sense it until Kagome helped me out." He shoved Nijuu. "Lead the way."

Nijuu whimpered. "Thanks."

Going through the door into the next hall Yoko watched as Nijuu whimpered more and Zokusai, very uncharacteristic of him, was growling and not trying to keep it in. Apparently their bond as twin brothers was something they both would have to train with if it was Nijuu truly able to sense it passing it to Zokusai. They went through one more hall when Nijuu pointed at a door falling to the middle.

"That door. That's the one I saw the stuff in and the chains."

Yusuke stepped forward. "No way they can't know we're here. I'll go in first and if there's a massive attack best chance that I'll survive than the rest of you." He turned around at the door and smiled. "Call me Toushin."

Yusuke opened the door to see a room with stone floors and walls. There were two metal tables and four chairs, two at each and on one of the tables sat a demon with dark blue skin, long black hair, head band, white markings on left side wearing more traditional clothing. There was a demon wearing black pants and a grey shirt that looked normal enough from the back/side in the middle standing in front of the shortest one in the room that was on a rack with protruding objects coming from it, some in him. He wore ripped black pants and was missing his shirt, where his chest was heavily bleeding, he had black hair with a white starburst in the middle chained to the wall-

Yusuke's eyes were wide. "Hiei-"

His head shot to the side when the door opened with a strain causing more blood to flow down him and was wide eyed. "-Kagome…" He shouted at them once realization kicked in. "Get her out of here you fools!"

Yoko hadn't lost rationality, though seeing Hiei, apparently alive though they had buried his body, and the two remaining demons. All in the same room. Akumu and Chenja.

Akumu looked at them and pushed off of the table with a small smile. "We didn't know you all were here."

Yusuke saw Chenja back hand Hiei causing him to knock out before he could speak again. "Well we are ya damn liars."

Chenja smiled with an evil glint in his eyes. "I see you've brought what we've been looking for straight to us."

Yusuke was not going to say how confused he was. "Why are you torturing Hiei if he's nothing to you all."

Chenja spoke with Akumu having a devious smile in the back, cold. "When one of you, the spirit fox or you Toushin killed Reitouzoku Koenma also died. By time Enma was found from his prolonged vacation he had no intention of leaving Rekai was in pieces, disorder, chaos. Spirits were sent to the wrong places souls were tortured that should have a peaceful life. Most was taken care of and set straight, with Enma in order. But he didn't catch everything. Your forbidden male killed so many that day the reapers couldn't keep up but this one's soul was taken. Enma just messed up and sent him back to his body."

Yoko was understanding, but things were still missing. "He used up all of his energy and life energy to kill everyone in Mushiari City. When Enma signed the papers with his stamp that gave him back all of his energy and life energy."

Chenja evilly smiled. "The bastard heals quickly and regrew his arm after about fifteen years. We know this because when we dug up that bitch's body and didn't find the shikkon no tama in it we went to his to find him already gone and started to track him. We were sure he didn't have it when we sensed her energy in various places." He glared at her angry. "Meaning a dead piece of trash somehow managed to make a wish on the jewel for her own life and is hiding the jewel from us now, in her."

Yusuke looked at them. "So now that's out of the way-"

Akumu glared at Yusuke now in front of him with his hand through his injury, into his body, holding onto something. "-now you die."

Akumu flung Yusuke's body into the 'spiked' wall next to Hiei taking out a large chuck of insides as blood poured from Yusuke's mouth. He fought to stay conscious then quickly hung his head and closed his eyes as his body bled. Yoko quickly moved to where Katsumo was in front of Kagome with Zokusai behind her only to find Chenja there the same time he was.

Kagome ducked down bending back over Chenja's kick quickly feeling everything inside of her rip to see Yoko block and Akumu jump over an attack from Nijuu, pull out a sword from on his back and slice down. By time Kagome got back up to her feet she saw Katsumo getting rapidly beat in a tease by Chenja and Nijuu and Zokusai keeping Akumu occupied before he attacked them back causing them to crash into a wall.

And Yoko on the floor missing his arm from his neck to his hip.

Kagome watched as the interactions took place and briefly closed her eyes. Maybe she was glad Sesshomaru had put the fail safe into her now. She smirked some. At least she could eat back to her normal and have ruff sex without having pain now.

If she was still alive after she used it.

Kagome laughed at bit to herself not caring if she was losing it from seeing her mate dying on the ground with far too much blood out of him or her own injuries. She opened her eyes and lifted her shirt up and bit through her tongue as she used one claw on her hand to cut into her side where there was a sustained bruise roughly in the shape of a chain. She moved the skin flap with a yell keeping her mouth closed not wanting the attention on her praying her children and Katsumo would keep up doing their all for a short while longer. She screamed in her mouth as she reached into herself and quickly pulled out a necklace with a thick clasp on the end of it.

She smiled falling to the ground and coughed up some blood onto Yoko's body. She could still feel his soul in his body, he still had a heart beat though he didn't breathe. She growled at herself for thinking about anything not immediate on hand and went onto her back, long learning from Sesshomaru's _sessions_ that it was less painful this way and locked the clasp around her neck…

Everyone in the room turned to a horrific yell to see Kagome on her back with a light glowing from her. Chenja punched the three away and looked on as the yell stopped.

"What happened."

Akumu dared not to get closer. "Something's… Not right about this at all." He took a step back unconsciously. "She did something to make her in more pain."

Kagome yelled with her eyes closed. "Get your fathers and the other guy speared on the wall and yourself out of this complex now!"

Nijuu was scared and confused. "But what-"

Kagome felt herself growing, which was really the most painful part. "-shut the fuck up and do as I said!"

Katsumo saw the two demons fascinated, entranced, and very cautious of Kagome. But preoccupied. He shouted at them as he picked up Yoko, better suited to carry someone larger.

"Come on let's go!"

Zokusai looked at his mother from the glow seeing her… He quickly went to get Hiei and trusted him into Nijuu's arms barking at him to leave, pulled out Yusuke and ran off.

Chenja's eyes widened for a moment. "She had that necklace in her."

Akumu nodded in understanding getting a glow around his hand. "How a miko could exist and killed Ganban." He put his hand in front of him. "Now she-"

Chenja put his hand on his arm pulling it down. "-we do not risk her getting reincarnated with the jewel it could be days, months, centuries. And if this doesn't work out we find him, her and do this the longer way."

Akumu threw his sword at her. "Easy enough."

Kagome opened her eyes and blinked. She was human. And she was going to die quickly seeing how much blood was coming from her body. She grit her teeth tasting nothing but blood as her side poured blood. Demon healing couldn't help quick enough with the rest of the injures. But she was going to kill these two, make it back to Yoko, save his life, _then_-

Kagome's eyes turned red. "-live."

She quickly stood avoiding the blade at her head to see the two demons growling at her, angry. She smirked, put her hands in a prayer position and spoke creating a dome of pure energy around the room.

"You should know by now I don't fancy dying without taking someone with me. I'm fine with two."

Akumu tried sending his nightmare energy at the barrier finding no effect as Chenja punched it only getting singed as he shouted. "Wench as much energy as you're putting into this-"

Kagome was angry. "-damnit stop calling me a wench!" The barrier solidified. "Bitch wench cunt fucker trash hoe slut strumpet witch shit all my cursed life my Gdamned name is Kagome!"

Chenja turned towards her, ran, and cried out getting burned all over as she moved her hands from a prayer position creating spirals of energy around her spreading outward. Of pure energy. And the two demons had no where to run.

Katsumo coughed out more blood onto Yoko now in the forest and soon collapsed unable to go any further and blacked out. Knowing he nor his brother could move anything additional to what they had right now they both dropped who they were holding-

Nijuu yelled at his brother worried, confused, scared, in tears. "-Zokusai what the heck happened? I smell death on Dad _and_ Yusuke and Mom started-"

"-turn around and look."

Nijuu turned towards the complex seeing nothing, then a few moments later a dome coming out from the side of the building they were just in. Then a rush of power that put fear into the both of them. And it disappeared. Nijuu was even more scared.

"Brother that wasn't demonic that wasn't human energy that was purification energy- Where's Mom!"

"I don't know-"

Shuichi ran up with Shio behind and dropped to his knees. "-Yoko…What happened."

Zokusai looked on at the complex still. There was too much death coming from his father. Yusuke, maybe, but his father.

"He's almost dead."

Shuichi tried using a plant only to see his hands up to his wrist disappear in blood. "No… What happened-" He looked around quickly. "Where's Kagome- Why is Hiei here-"

Shio looked ahead and pointed. "-Shuichi look."

Shuichi looked up seeing something or someone come out of the side of the building and fall against the wall. "Kagome…" He saw Nijuu run, even as injured as he was, after her in tears calling out for her when his own eyes narrowed. "There's purification in the air-" Shuichi's eyes widened. "-Nijuu no!"

Nijuu ignored him hearing Shuichi take off after him with Shio ahead of him. "I am not going to leave my Mother to die again!"

Shuichi spoke. "Do it."

Shio, uninjured, easily caught up to Nijuu, decked him and got on top of him restraining the red eyed kitsune as Shuichi ran past. "Your mother changed she's a miko now if you get near her after she used that much energy you will be purified to death."

Nijuu still fought. "I do _not_ care-"

"-Shio knock him out-"

"-Shio-"

Shio hit him on the neck followed by a small whimper. "-Sorry, Nijuu."

Shuichi went down to Kagome seeing her oozing blood, pouring blood from her side when it hit him. 'The fail safe Sesshomaru put in her.' He picked her up getting singed all over but grit his teeth and bared it as he ran back. "Kagome keep your eyes open-"

"-put me down next to Yoko."

'She's speaking so calmly.' "Kagome I am taking you straight to a hospit-"

"-I still have enough miko energy to kill you if you don't put me down right now Shuichi."

After about five seconds with no response Kagome touched his neck causing him to shout out and let go of her. Kagome let out a yell and put up a small, pathetic barrier that did it's purpose as she crawled over to Yoko, hugged his side and let out a breath.

Shuichi continued to punch the barrier shouting at her reliving Yoko's memories of when she killed herself with Ganban not wanting the same to happen again. When the barrier disappeared and his hand was no longer getting singed he saw a small glow from Kagome, Yoko cough up some blood unconsciously roll away from Kagome getting purified slowly with a growl, and Kagome let out a breath not taking one back in.

Shuichi immediately picked Kagome up running off with her to the portal shouting. "Shio take them to the loft and do not leave for anything in the world!"

Shio felt reality kick him in the ass seeing them. His father, whom he could smell death lingering over, Yoko, who was still out too much blood, Nijuu heavily injured but would be fine in about two weeks time, some demon, and Zokusai, the only one standing as he picked up Yusuke speaking.

"Pick up my father and do as Shuichi told us to do." He quickly picked up a plant from a tree dropping it on Nijuu seeing him wake up a bit too quickly, cough up some blood, and look down. "Let's go. Pick up the other one."

Shio waited around sitting on the floor. He didn't know what to think at all. It had been three days, none of them had woken up, there was someone he didn't know in the room, and Shuichi hadn't returned. He had cleaned and bandaged all of them with the extreme limited knowledge he knew, then quickly went onto Shuichi's laptop to a website that gave him instructions on how to do the rest. And that was three days ago. He hadn't eaten or moved except to change their still bleeding bandages and to sit back down.

His father no longer smelled of death, but the thought of someone more powerful than his father scared him to no end. His eyes locked on looking around hearing a moan but was petrified and doing a poor job of hiding it. The one he didn't know was waking up.

Hiei opened his eyes finding himself on his back feeling like shit that was shat on. He had been in that fashioned torture room for at least eight days and wouldn't be healed for some time on that.

'They kept me in there for that long.' He let out a growl then kept it in realizing he didn't know where he was. 'I should kill them for doing such things to me.'

Hiei sat up closing his eyes in pain and looked around. The bodies, unconscious, of the fox and Yusuke. And apparently their children after all of this tim- His head turned to where he saw one awake, unharmed, sitting against a wall staring at him.

"Tell me where this is now."

Shio's eyes widened some. "This is Shuichi's place in Nagasaki."

Hiei was tired. The brat was of Yusuke and he would do well not to kill him… The time he spent in makai all these years since 'his death' didn't erase how long he had been associating with humans…

"Speak tell me where Kagome is."

Shio was not fairing well. "I don't know sir! Shuichi told me to stay here and wait for him!"

Hiei could not hide his confusion. "They're separate."

Shio was confused. "I don't understand sir!"

Hiei growled at him sitting up against a wall. The brat didn't know anything. He closed his eyes to heal and waited for someone with intelligence to wake up.

Zokusai opened his eyes, refused to let his body and mind act on pain and stood looking around. Almost all of his wounds were still open but he didn't sense any lurking danger and would have time to heal. He saw Shio asleep far from everyone and the rest still asleep. When he turned around again from looking at everyone to see the demon he didn't know with his eyes open looking at him. They were blood red, but not as deep as his mothers and no where as deep as his. He didn't remember him, but he remembered the name. His father was a story teller and Yusuke… Was Yusuke. He waited for him to speak, knowing he would have to since, if the two demons were telling the truth, Hiei didn't really have a clue of what was going on.

"What's been going on."

Zokusai couldn't read him. "My father and Yusuke presumed you and my Mother as dead. Shuichi, who is now separate from my father, found my mother in a different country to where myself my brother and father tracked her down in yet a different location. When Yusuke was informed he and his two sons came with us as we went after those after my mother to come to the citadel where we found you and the two demons."

Hiei was confused but hid it, exgusted still. The boy didn't act like his father or mother but silent, blunt, reserved… No emotions, sheer distrust.

"You don't remember me."

"I remember you were never around and my mother hates you."

Or that. "Where is your mother."

"If I knew I wouldn't be looking at you."

Hiei glared at him. "Kit do not presume to-"

Zokusai growled at him. "-shut up and go to sleep-"

Shio quickly woke up hearing the phone ring and jumped to get it. "-Moshi Moshi please?"

Shuichi sat up in a hospital bed…In a hospital he didn't know and spoke. "Shio, it is Shuichi-"

"-Shuich _please_ come back you left me all alone with a bunch of bodies and now Zokusai is awake and he looks like he's going to kill some demon that is really scary-"

Shuichi had enough of him, plus with a headache. "-Shio stop." He waited for a while and closed his eyes. "Who is awake."

"Just me Zokusai and that guy."

"Please give the receiver to Zokusai."

Zokusai looked at Shio who begged for him not to give the phone to him but for him to get it, in seeing how he didn't want to be around Hiei. Zokusai, though, never broke eye contact.

"Throw it fool."

Shio did so not caring about the insult and quickly went away again. He put the phone to his mouth and spoke still starring.

"Shuichi."

Shuichi sighed. 'If Hiei is awake and I have no idea why he's here I shouldn't say anything I need to to Zokusai.' "Just have your father contact me if he can't make it once he wakes. I don't know what hospital I'm in and am having difficulities staying awake for long."

'Because of how long you were with my mother.'

'He really is good. Knows that I don't know why Hiei is there either.' "Yes. I woke up yesterday for two minutes before I woke up today…I have to hang up now."

Zokusai turned off the phone and spoke. "You don't like me I don't trust a damn thing about you I did as I was told and I don't have to like it so buck up shut up and go back to sleep."

Hiei growled at him and closed his eyes. He didn't really have a choice about doing as he was told to. His body forced him to.

Yoko gained consciousness and kept his eyes closed smelling Shio changing his bandages…Shio was changing his bandages-

Shio stopped hearing Yoko growl and not knowing if it was directed at anyone he knelt back and spoke seeing his eyes open.

"Uhm, hi."

"Where's my mate."

"Shuichi told me to take everyone here and wait for his return but he hasn't come back yet and it's been four days and he called yesterday saying from being around Kagome he just woke up then but that he's in a hospital and doesn't know where he's at and I'm not asking-" he saw Yoko standing coughing up some blood. "-you not to go to Kagome but to either let me go with you or get that demon out of here I can't be around him any longer."

Yoko saw Zokusai open his eyes with pure tire and look at him. "He told you to contact him."

Yoko painfully took to the roof tops having to stop five times to catch his breath or pass out. Infact he did pass out once and looked up seeing it dawn once again, growled at the pigeon on him and quickly went on.

'Shuichi is unconscious. Why? He wasn't there… Unless he came when he sensed what happened to me. But then why are they alive, am I alive? What happened-'

Yoko felt Kagome's spirit finally. But was scared. It was entirely too weak, near non existent. He quickly jumped on the ground and painfully ran up to the building seeing a woman pass out from seeing him and saw the three story hospital just outside of the city and jumped to the second level on the ledge and was filled with fear. Doctors, nurses, specialist filled the room. There was a curtain around them. But there was one small gap and that was all he needed to see that his Kagome laying on the hospital cot was human. His spirit cried out to her to open her eyes.

'Sesshomaru's fail safe. How I'm alive as I suspect the others, even if we aren't completely healed. How we managed to escape with our lives. How Yusuke is alive from having a lung ripped out of him, the hole in him was healed over. How Shuichi is unconscious, he carried her here and was slowly purified along the way. But you can not die again love.'

Yoko used his claws to cut open a rectangle once the doctors left to see the wires and tubes coming out of his mate. She had a mild hum of purification around her but it didn't pain him at all. Infact it comforted him. He pulled out all of the human objects sticking out and in his mate taking caution with those in her throat, picked her up feeling her heart slowing down with her breathing without the machines that barley managed to keep her alive, and fled into a park with her. He set her down noticing again how pale she was, blue, and went for some common plants to try to take care of her. The entire time to the park he had tried to take off the clasp, demon blood would greatly assist her in healing. But either he was too weak now or was still too weak, the clasp didn't recognize him. He cut his palm letting his blood flow into her glad it wasn't purified and held her extremely loosely as he let sleep take him again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Yoko woke cursing himself for how long he slept. He knew there was no way he could refuse to, but when the grass under him told him that they had been covered up for two days… Yoko looked at his fragile mate seeing her still very much so unconscious. She had a steady, weak heart beat and prayed for her to wake soon and get better. Knowing staying in a human park hearing the children playing their games and that he had to of already been spotted seeing a ball flying over him he stood cradling his mate in his arms and made his way back to the loft.

Getting inside after a long number of jumps up he saw everyone asleep, though all conscious. He sat down gently holding his mate noticing Shio wasn't around and figured Yusuke must have woken for a brief amount of time to tell him to go get food. He opened his eyes again about two hours later hearing the sound of plastic coming down the hall and saw Yusuke wake up with a groan as soon as the door began to open. As Shio put the food away Yusuke sat up against the will of his protesting body and became saddened.

"Kagome…"

Shio looked at his father's sad gaze then to Yoko and sighed. "I'm just glad you're awake."

Yusuke continued to look on. "That was the fail safe…G no…"

Yoko spoke. "Shio cook food now. Did you question Hiei yet."

"No. Woke up for about a minute to tell the boy then just now." He ate some meat. "Once I finish this… I can't stay awake for long. No energy." He looked up at Yoko, both eating and knew the fox had his priorities. "Do you think that is Hiei."

Yoko looked at the unconscious body while eating. "I can only feel his conflicted soul inside of him representing his two halves. The entire time I was around Koenma Reitouzoku I only sensed Koenma, even when you killed him. Though the Jagan… Reitouzoku had years in Spirit World where no one would question him to figure out how to use Koenma's abilities, we don't know how long Hiei has been alive, but he's still trying to figure out how to use the Jagan and make sure it doesn't use him, when he was alive."

Yusuke looked at him as well. "So how can we test him using the Jagan without killing us. Let's say about twenty years Reitouzoku has used it, you knew of Hiei back then how was he like."

"Not healthy, enraged at a second and massive headaches."

"How long did it take for him to summon the mortal flame."

"Just before the dark tournament. We'll have him do that." Yusuke yawned. "Wake me up when he's up if I can't… And hope Katsumo or Zokusai wakes up before him so that they can tell us what the fuck happened."

Shio set a bowl of rice and vegetables with some fish next to Yoko, who gave him a look. Shio sighed and went to where Katsumo was, still asleep, and tried sleeping himself.

Yoko scooped some rice with a piece of cooked fish into his hand, chewed it for a long while making sure she didn't have to waist energy on digestion and put it into Kagome's mouth then rubbed on her throat for a while. Once the bowl was near empty he closed his eyes and let sleep take him again.

Zokusai opened his eyes still feeling like shit and smelled meat, even if it was raw fish from Nagasaki, and went to feed himself. He saw the human in his father's eyes and wouldn't have believed it to be his mother if he hadn't seen it for himself. But she was deathly pale, and he _hated_ the smell of humans. Most- Some did clean on a normal basis, but it wasn't that. He could block that out with a little concentration. But the smell of ever coming death… It frightened him, disturbed him and made him want to do anything in his power to make it go away. So he kept his no emotion face on, saw everyone else asleep and _that_ demon in a deep sleep. Something wasn't right about him.

He looked outside at the stars, something his mother had taught him to do, and figured he was asleep for at least seven days. And he still felt like this. He doubted he could go for a ten minute run without tearing something open. As if he had been completely depleted of his energy, which he probably was. He turned hearing something and saw his mother's eyes open and noticed they were blue instead of red, the last time he saw her. Not showing his confusement he spoke not sure if she knew what was going on.

"Mom."

Kagome wondered why she was awake when she felt almost dead. She made a noise when she registered a voice and looked up wincing seeing Zokusai standing across the room. Breathing hurt. She looked at him then passed out again.

Zokusai turned back around looking outside. It was better that she was asleep, her body was too fragile. Seeing _that_ demon still in a deep sleep he sat down in a half sleep.

Yusuke yawned feeling like shit and saw, still, everyone asleep and figured Shio had left to get food. Knowing that was a good thing he stood, causing Yoko to open his eyes.

"I see you still feel like shit too."

"Zokusai's awake."

Yusuke looked at him with his eyes still closed. "And you know I can't tell without any energy in me. Anyway what happened after I got knocked out."

Zokusai spoke with his eyes closed. "The blue demon cut off my father's arm from his neck to his hip, my brother Katsumo and I fought the two to keep them away from my mother when she let out a scream and everyone stopped fighting. The demons looked confused and cautious, my mother told us to get you both and _that_ demon into the forest and not come back for her and we did so. Katsumo passed out the moment he made it there, I looked on at the fortress at the side where my mother and the demons still were to see…"

Zokusai opened his eyes. "I don't know what it was really. It was a dome or something of energy but I couldn't really sense anything, then there was some other type of energy and I felt like I should flee the area. Shuichi and Shio came quickly, I briefly described what I thought had happened, Nijuu disobeyed my mother a third time and ran off after her once he saw her come out of the fortress and lean against the stone wall. Shuichi yelled at him again to stop, Shio tackled him before he made it to her and knocked him out. I saw Shuichi pick my mother up and heard him growling the entire time back. Then…Some light or something came from my human mother and Shuichi let out a shout, dropped her, she crawled over to my father and there was something… I honestly don't know. Your arm and side were back as well as the hole in Yusuke sealed over and she stopped breathing." He looked up at his father. "I don't even remember how I got here."

Yoko spoke. "The first time Nijuu did so was with the Chimera, what was the second."

Zokusai closed his eyes. "When my mother told us to leave with you and not here he refused to do so and was about to go pick her up when she yelled at him extremely angered. Katsumo had to get him to leave."

Yoko sighed. "Tell him not to speak for some time or your mother might purify him on purpose and regret it later."

"What does that mean, purify. Purification, how is Mom, human."

"The necklace she wears reverts someone to their opposite. A demon to a human a human to a demon. In your mother's case as you know she thought she was human for the first years of her life. During that time she was a miko with purification powers. The necklace on her reverts her to that. Purification is something that kills demons only, it does not work on humans or animals. The Shinto and Budhist religions see demons as evil spirits, mikos are of the Shinto line and can rid evil spirits of demons. Though your mother isn't like most Mikos. They're supposed to be pure, heal and aid humans, destroy demons without a question. Or they are called dark mikos, where their energy is pure evil. Her's is tainted, not pure anything, and for that she can kill anything she wants to with her energy."

"Dark Mikos can only kill humans."

"They still can only kill demons with their energy, just that they're not pure good as they are supposed to be and do things they're not supposed to."

Zokusai would ask someone else later. "And of the necklace."

"It takes someone with great energy to remove it and currently no one in the room has little if any energy. Do you know if Hiei has woken."

"He has."

Yusuke looked at him. "What did he do."

Zokusai closed his eyes again. "I don't trust him."

Yusuke smiled at him. "You don't trust many people, and I guess he was never around you two much when you were younger and you wouldn't remember him. He say anything- Yeah he's waking now, I can hardly hold my excitement."

Hiei spoke opening his eyes. "I'm thrilled to see you as well Yusuke."

Yusuke smiled at him. "Well take offense all you want and I'm sure you will hot head but I'm not saying another damn thing around you until I know you're you and not Reitouzoku."

Hiei looked at him after a glance at Yoko not saying anything. "And how do you suppose on doing that Toushin."

Yusuke sighed. "You got enough of your energy back."

"How do you suppose on doing that, Toushin."

Yusuke looked at him. "Summon the mortal flame."

Hiei raised his left hand up with a dark and light blue combined flame dancing around his entire arm. "Enough."

Yusuke nodded and Hiei lowered his arm no longer in flames. He saw Zokusai looking at him with pure distrust and ignored him, still. Yusuke spoke again.

"How about you start from the last time you were alive."

"I pulled myself out of my own grave and stayed hidden in Makai knowing that if I tried contacting anyone Rekai would kill me without a doubt for destroying an entire human city. After a few years I noticed someone tracking me and became even more hidden. When I stopped to finish regrowing my arm a month ago I woke up where you found me now tell me what is going on now."

Yusuke glared at him. "I don't have to tell you a damn thing deman-"

Yoko cut him off and spoke. "-Ganban is dead as you know, and we believed we killed Reitouzoku as well effectively killing Koenma. Enma is now in charge of Spirit world again but the backlash of him being found after ten years is still tolling on him. Rekai doesn't punish or do anything unless the barrier has fallen, period. There is not a new team of spirit detectives and apparently he is still catching up. When he did return he accidentally signed your name back to life which granted you your life energy again causing you to live. Sesshomaru brought Kagome back to life eight years ago and since about one year ago we've been after the two."

Hiei knew they were leaving a lot of information out, but figured if they had killed Koenma, because it was still him, and they were mulling around ningenkai just fine, there was a lot of stuff they didn't know. He remained silent analyzing his thoughts when he opened his eyes about a day later to see an exgusted Shuichi enter and look around.

"Hiei. It's nice to see you again. I presume Yusuke's already spoke to you if you're still here."

"Hn."

After two weeks in total they were all awake save Kagome. No one felt like doing anything and all were still out of it. Zokusai had a huge distrust with Hiei who ignored it though was worried and rejoiced at the same time in seeing Kagome. Shuichi and Shio entered again with more food, to which Nijuu immediately woke up going to the frigate, tossing some to Katsumo when everyone paused. He turned hearing a faint moan from Kagome. Yusuke spoke eating some rice.

"You know she's not going to want to be around any of us once she wakes." He laughed once. "Hell when we were walking around with her she looked like she wanted to kill all of us and herself knowing what she was then and before."

Yoko laid her down on a pillow, stood and ate some food. Yusuke was very right. Being a miko, even if she knew she was a demon, screamed at her to kill them all and she had to fight her instincts once again.

"In the forest her eyes were red, normal. Here they were blue."

Yoko glared at him. "Why did you decide not to tell me this."

"Because she was only awake for less than a minute, Father."

Yoko ignored him knowing he didn't know anything about it. After an hour or so he saw Kagome open her eyes on her back, saw her aurora raise itself slightly then stood with a silent curse word and went to take a shower.

Kagome stood letting the warm water run over her body. She hurt like hell and figured she wouldn't be up to strength for at least another weak at the lowest amount of time and could hide the rest of her pain then. Deciding staying in the shower for too long would only draw unwanted attention to herself in seeing how all attention was unwanted she turned the water off, dried herself off with the towel and put on some of the clothes that were already in there for her and stood in front of the mirror.

She was pist. There was no other way to describe it outside of rage, frustration, sheer anger, agonizing pain mental and physical. She snarled at herself.

'Was that GD fucking close and I couldn't even-'

Everyone in the main room snapped their head to the bathroom hearing a loud shattering sound followed by a slight scent of blood. And Yoko could feel every single thing she was right about now and knew going to her right now would be suicidal.

Kagome looked at herself in what remained of the mirror. The wall only had one sliver that staid up on its own. She closed her eyes briefly and looked at her hand noticing it only slightly bruised and not bleeding. She then looked at the rest of herself seeing a shard in her arm and pulled it out, put some pressure on it for about a minute. When it stopped bleeding she cleaned up the mess and went back to looking at herself in the sliver of a mirror. She sat on the toilet seat for a while to concentrate and regain some composure, but up a mental barrier, devoid herself, and walked out and sat directly next to Yoko. He raised a brow knowing he wouldn't get a response.

'Do you sit next to me because of something I can't even think of, or because…'

She looked at Yusuke. "Take this off now Toushin."

Yusuke looked at her. 'She shouldn't have blue eyes. Something's wrong with her energy.' "I've been trying up to about two hours ago. I, can't."

Kagome sighed. "Fine."

Yusuke smirked. "You really are more talkative when you're human."

Yoko looked at her. Something was very wrong, that obvisualy only she knew of. He could tell she didn't want to be here and she was pist at something else as well, and that she had put up all of her barrier again.

"What's wrong."

"Many things when can we find Sesshomaru dono."

Yoko spoke before Yusuke could. "We leave tomorrow."

Kagome blinked slightly confused. 'He knows I can't walk that far and that I'm still injured so why the hell is he agreeing to this?' "Fine."

Zokusai growled to his father. _"Nijuu's coming back."_

Shuichi spoke not sure if Nijuu in the room was a good or bad thing. "He's still in Nagasaki, though with informants now adays it very well could be one of his sons."

Yusuke growled. "Everyone is in this city and that is not a good thing. And too many people are lying to us."

Shio looked at his father, Kagome, his father again, Kagome, Hiei who glared at him for looking around so much, back to Kagome, then to Katsumo, himself then sat down. Nijuu came in through the window, noticed his mother awake and sulked some from the warnings everyone had given him. When morning came the group went by roof top to where Shuichi had instructed them finding a large building, longer than any they had seen before, and went in through an open window knowing it to be very uncharastic for a demon to do so. Kagome getting out of Yoko's hold, they walked, with the rest staying in the room, to where she led him.

"It's Maramaru."

Yoko followed seeing her pause briefly then enter a room without a knock. He saw a normal bedroom in traditional style but found one thing out of place with it. Maramaru stood without a shirt on wearing business pants with a inu woman kneeling wrapping wounds on him.

"Speak wench."

"Master Sesshomaru told me to find him once I used this."

Maramaru growled at her. "He is not here nor will I take that necklace off for you leave."

Yoko spoke. "No because someone attacked you thinking you were your father who."

Maramaru turned to him eyes tingeing red. "Fox do not presume that you out strength me even now and I take orders from no one _but_ him."

Kagome still spoke with her head bowed. "Maramaru sama I only wish to find your father. Any assistance would be most humbly appreciated, as well, you could commission myself to find who _is_ after your father to spare yourself the time though much would not be taken."

Maramaru growled some letting the inu woman continue. "After the nightmare demon came and left I found myself against some human hybrid. The nightmare demon was looking for me, hours later they hybrid was for my Father and yes you too would be wounded by this human. He called himself Hiroth leave."

Kagome bowed and walked out. 'What type of human could harm anything of Sesshomaru's? The only one who had ever harmed Maramaru's father as a human was…Me, when I had no doubts I was accepted and happy, human. But that was all a lie. And I know for a fact all of his sons are more powerful than Yusuke I was there when they were being trainned, so how?'

Yoko wondered what she was thinking about. "What's on your mind Kagome."

'That you don't call me Kagome normally.' "And if this doesn't work out we find him, her and do this the longer way. That's exactly what I think Chenja said before…"

Yoko stopped her in the hall knowing no one could hear them. "The physics were the first plan, the tama the second. This is their third. And doing it the long way means it is just another extension to the second plan." He stood across from her and looked away. "I don't know who her and him would be if they aren't you for one of them."

"Why Sesshomaru. Akumu probably put him into a nightmare to find out where he was and left."

"As I thought as well…His only weakness would be his mate, why no one save you and I and perhaps Zokusai have seen her and lived. I doubt even Maramaru could fake it if his mother was kidnapped…He revived you, maybe the two demons want someone revived or plan to use Reitouzoku if he really is dead with him." He looked at her. "Why did you set next to me after the shower."

She still looked to the side. "When I'm confused and don't want to be around anyone at all being around you helps me think and keeps me… Calmer. I just hate this necklace."

"I figured we'd be directed to Sesshomaru in no less than two days. Are you going to be fit to travel."

She sighed. "I'll need a bow."

"How many offspring does Sesshomaru have."

"Two from one woman and three from his mate…And one other. The two from the woman died naturally about one hundred years ago. Maramaru is the oldest from his current mate, Touimaru when in the office in Osaka years ago is his youngest. The middle one is also confined to offices until he proves himself. The other one I haven't seen in a while."

"It's not like him to bed a woman and have her pregnant."

"The first woman…Was human, and the half demons died from age and he did love her. Shortly after she died he mated the inu you saw. I only saw his other son once, and he's full blood." She looked at him. "And around your age." She continued to look at him for a few minutes then walked off. "We should get going if we're hunting someone and we know nothing of him in Makai."

Yoko spoke walking next to her. "What makes you think he's in Makai."

"Once his sons want to prove themselves to master Sesshomaru they're not allowed to go to makai or rekai, and as pist as Maramaru sama was he wouldn't have stopped unless he went somewhere he couldn't go. And going to Rekai now would be stupid."

Zokusai looked on not knowing what to think. The idea… Being around his mother now just didn't seem right. Normally he would grab the chance to walk next to his mother silently on the rare occasion she spoke to him, or anyone. When she might ask him and not her mate to go somewhere. But now… It wasn't because she was human, miko. He really didn't know.

'And I don't want to ask either. I know I should because my mother isn't physic. Apparently _that_ demon is with that eye he has and apparent long time friend ally or not I will kill him the moment he enters my mind breaking through my barriers…but my mother…' He looked at her ahead letting Nijuu speak to her with Shio on the other side ignoring them. 'Why can't I? And why are we just wondering around if we don't know where this Hiroth is that attacked one of Sesshomaru's sons? What is really going on.'

Hiei jumped next to Yusuke speaking walking ahead. "There's nothing."

Yusuke smiled. "Guess you scouting ahead was a big help then."

"Hn."

"Right right I know okay? They're not really after us now since they're both for Sesshomaru for some reason we either wish isn't true or we don't know of." He looked up some at Yoko. "We _are_ heading to his house here, correct?"

"Makai was formed for the demons and Rekai was always present. Sesshomaru's original land was always in Ningenkai and he never left according to the rules. He doesn't have a house here."

"Soo…"

"He has another son that has land in Makai. We're going to ask where."

"Who."

"A demon blacksmith that also can forge a sword for Hiei in seeing how his is lost." He smiled at him. "He's an old friend of Kagome's."

Yusuke smiled. "So it is good that she still has that thing on her then otherwise he'd kill her. Where's he at?"

"Mount Totosai, it's not much further." He nodded. "His hut, if it is still there, is on the side of that smaller mountain in the distance."

Kagome looked at the large hut seeing it largely unchanged from the last time she had gone up the mountain with the half dog demon, save the wheels on the bottom for easy moving. Though she doubted as much as the hut should weigh, it could move with such ease. She entered the hut seeing the inside with carpet, modern appliances, and –

Shio had his mouth open. "A TV in makai."

Yusuke chuckled some. "Maybe you can use cell phones in makai then."

Kagome looked at the aged demon, sleeping sitting up with a bubble coming from his mouth. The rest opted to stay outside so not to overwhelm him.

"Totosai…" She knelt in front of him and pushed him slightly. "Totosai."

"…I don't want to buy the jar opener come back….Later…."

Kagome pushed him much harder causing his head to hit on a 'wall'. "Totosai wake up now." She was annoyed. "Old man wa-"

"-ah!" The demon quickly sat up looking around. "What the-" He blinked, looking around seeing two demons who he could recognize and a human… "A fledgling and looks like one of Raizen's kids from the looks of it."

Yusuke looked at him. "How many kids does my old man have."

"Had. When I was, oh, only nine hundred or so he had one, but the boy was arrogant and got himself killed before I was one thousand. And now apparently you." He stretched. "How is the ole battle demon doing anyway?"

Yusuke growled. "Don't know don't care."

"So you're a bastard then! Great!" he laughed some. "Should go see him though, and tell him Totosai said hello. If you've never even seen your own father and you know he is alive should do so, be good for ya boy…" He looked at Kagome. "Those two I don't know but you look…Familiar…"

"I'm K-"

"-You're Inuyasha's woman now I remember!...Wait you're human."

"You have working eyes old man and I am not-"

"-wait wait now I remember. Myoga had told me that you were from a different time. Guess this one then. What brings you here? I see you still keep odd travel company."

Yusuke spoke. "There are more outside but we didn't want to all invade your home. How old are you if you know my old man and he's one of the oldest demons alive."

"Me? I'm about two thousand or so. After a while the years start to blend together. Raizen's the only one I know who's older than myself, though I haven't seen him in about a thousand years or so, so I guess that would be time for you to be born somehow-"

Kagome cut him off annoyed. "-Totosai I have two things to ask of you."

He nodded. "Of course of course. Anything for the woman of the son of the great dog demon-"

Kagome closed her eyes. "-Do not call me-"

"-So what can I do for ya?" He pushed a button on the remote. "Want to watch some TV there little boy?"

Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him. "I need some information and a sword crafted for someone I travel with."

Totosai gave her a look. "You don't sound like you like this person you're doing a favor for."

"I don't."

He nodded. "You always were honest. Call it done. What type of demon is he since you don't…" He looked at her closer. "You don't never mind?"

"He's a fire Apparition."

"Apparition eh? Well I won't have to tone myself down then. What's the other thing you need of me?"

"When's the last time you've seen Sesshomaru sama."

"Maybe about fifty years ago. I get him and his eldest son confused all of the time even though I've seen them various times and have known Sesshomaru longer. That little thing with Tokijiin is behind us, not by my choice, but it is." He stood making his way back into the hut. "Infact, I saw his son not too long ago."

Kagome followed him seeing his old work room intact separate from his modern things. "Which one."

"Not the pups he has, the other one…Ah I forget the name. But he was by here about a week ago or so…Or yesterday. My age it all seems the same. He wanted to know if I had crafted an extra long sword for a human, and I said the only thing I had ever crafted for a human was for you and he left."

Kagome watched as he blew fire into a pit dropping black metal into it. "Do you know where he went."

"I haven't seen or heard of him in Japan for some centuries but if he's here I doubt he'd leave so soon. He has a place…Heck even if his father doesn't claim Makai the west is still dog territory. But so is the North. Somewhere in there, and it is his father's. Towards the center I believe, can't miss it as arrogant as that dog is. About all I know." He turned around seeing Kagome and the two leaving. "Oh Inuyasha's wench wait!" He saw her walking back towards him and started speaking. "Not that important for a whisper I just wanted to say-"

Kagome put her hand around his neck and before she could burn him any further Yusuke pulled her off of him and spoke. "-Awh you know women and PMS. That's all."

Totosai rubbed his neck. "Power's have increased."

"I am not of anything to that dead half demon call me such again and I will kill you."

"PMS indeed. I just wanted to say that your friends' weapon should be done in a two days. Not much time is needed since it is for him and I won't have to cool it."

Yusuke said their thanks and left with Kagome before she could correct him about Hiei not being her friend at all. When outside he spoke to their group that wasn't far from the hut. Kagome distanced herself hoping to be out of hearing range for at least the non kitsune, knowing going that far Yoko would just come after her. She sat on a boulder eating a fish from a small shallow of water wrapped in some grass. Makai suchi. She saw Shuichi eating with the rest and had a sense and turned around looking up to see Yoko behind her.

"Apparently he doesn't know you killed Inuyasha." Kagome looked into his eyes. "Mate why are you troubling yourself with something that you don't have to burden alone."

Kagome shook her head. "It's gone now."

Yoko stood in front of her, taller than her sitting on the large boulder and kissed her. "If there are so many larger things in your life that cause you to worry, bother, have pain," he kissed her for a while then broke apart and smirked smelling her arousal. Something she kept _extremely_ hidden from him as demon but couldn't control now. "don't let the little ones hurt you."

Kagome let out a loud moan. "You know no bounds do you."

Yoko smiled nipping at her shoulder blade very lightly as he took her out of her clothes picking her up. "You are my mate no matter what you look like. Your body isn't complaining nor are you so why should I?"

Kagome kissed him tugging on his clothing. "Sex craved kitsune."

Yoko smirked letting her sit on him. "You know you love me."

She sat up, let out a moan, then tossed her head back. "I know."

Yusuke turned seeing Nijuu whimper some and Zokusai growl then smirked at Shuichi. "Guess they're fuc-"

"-Yusuke."

Yoko smirked once she woke up, for the third time in a day. He started to play with her nipples with three of his fingers keeping her moaning as one hand slipped below.

"I forgot to tell you the first, times. Your miko powers buzz softly when you're at your, peak." Kagome moaned, almost mewing from what he was doing with his left hand. He smiled. 'You can't think straight when I do this to you, and it's not just when you're demon.' He continued with his ways. "You'll have your necklace off soon, and with hope the dog will keep it and never around your lovely neck ever again."

Kagome moaned as he put her onto her knees. "G…Yoko."

He smirked. "I can still tell you time again love I'm not a god," he closed his eyes for a moment not missing a beat. "though the complement."

When Yoko was finished he held her on his back letting her lay on him. He stroked through her hair, both resting in silence. He wondered ho-

"-Inuyasha's woman!...Inuyasha's woman were are ya already gave the sword to your friend I forgot to tell you something!"

Kagome kept her eyes closed. He was lucky she was currently very naked ontop of a nude kitsune. She didn't want to kill anyone who was currently naked, that demon…

"-Inuyasha-….Oh Kagome! Don't make an old man come up after you."

Kagome sighed putting clothing on. She went down the mountain where they were rutting at seeing Totosai in mist of the rest of the group. He turned to her and nodded.

"Nothing huge. Just thought that you might like to have this here. I don't know what happened to him though I suppose he died the same as the rest in your group." He put something into her hands. "Shippo left it here the last time your group came up to visit an old man."

Kagome looked at the small top in her hands and smiled softly. "Thank you very much."

"That got you calm. Could have sworn you had an aurora for a moment like an angry demon woman interrupted from rutting. But yeah. He called you Momma right?" He saw her nod still looking at it. "Didn't think you were old enough to have kids back then but shows you what I know. Was a good kid." He turned to where Yusuke stood, waiting. "Hey Raizen's boy!"

Yusuke went up to him. "Yes Totosai."

"Take my advice will yeah? Should really go see your Father. His domain that he claims is everything that Sesshomaru doesn't claim. They got into a large battle about a thousand years ago…Or maybe it was Raizen and the great dog general- Actually I don't really know the date, before that foxes' time though, why it surprises me. Inuyoukai and your kind are kinda sworn enemies since then. Be careful. Wouldn't want to see an old acquiantce's child dead before they met up." He looked over to his two sons. "Then you have those two. Your younger one looks like he'll never shape up! Maybe the older." He laughed some. "Should find your mate and make another!"

Yusuke kept himself in check and wouldn't harm the old man. "Do you know where Raizen is at now?"

"He's at his home. It's in the east. When you're near you'll sense it, close to the shore. Some say there's a spell on it, I've never been there." He waved. "Take care! Come back and watch some more television some time!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Hiei walked admiring his sword. The hilt was a dark silver that radiated warmth. The blade was the color of the darkest blacks in the world that almost had flames dancing on it. Seeing the inuyhanyou fighting before he had told the old man not to make anything special to it, just an indestructible sword. It was crafted well and he was anx to get blood on it. He had gotten some answers. Where Sesshomaru's son was, that many people knew Kagome had a child and they were close.

'And that the battle demon is the enemy of every dog demon out there. No wonder why Sesshomaru glared at him and kicked him out once he found out…But why did he keep him in the house later on.'

Yusuke, walking, seeing Shuichi walking with Hiei and everyone caught up with their thoughts dropped back to where Yoko was and spoke looking ahead. "My old man and I, we're the last of our race, aren't we."

"I've never seen another of your type, I'd suppose yes though I can't be certian." He looked down at him. "After Raizen nearly controlling you, then controlling you to do as he wanted you're going to go to him."

"And kick his GD ass and tell him to fuck out of my head and fuck off. This my life and not his." Yusuke looked ahead. "Not now though. I won't have a life if we're all dead. These two demons don't want to open a hole in the barrier or break it all together. They want to control everyone and kill the rest who don't bow down to them through magic… Besides I don't want to bring my kids to him. The bastard does know they exist… Just a feeling I have."

Yoko smiled some. "That he cares of course Yusuke."

Yusuke smirked. "Like hell he does."

Kagome looked ahead still walking. 'We left Tototsai nine days ago, and we're just now in the western lands because of my human butt… When he called me mate when he wanted to rutt, love because he wanted to rutt some more… What if it's not just because I'm human? When he first tried having sex with me he called me love at the end to lure me back for more…' She briefly closed her eyes. 'Why the hell am I getting myself to think this. He would have let me die long ago if it was just for sex…Right?'

_'Unless he likes fucking a forbidden one.'_

Kagome looked around from hearing the voice having no idea of where it came from. Shrugging it off as herself she continued to walking not even wanting to think of why Zokusai wouldn't even look at her. She had to find the son, find Sesshomaru who probably knew where they were all along and try killing them again. And she wouldn't fail this time. She couldn't. There was just one more thing out of the norm that was bothering her.

'We haven't seen a single demon attack since we left Totosai… Since the fortress. Is it that human guy going around killing them or scaring them to submission, or something else.' She looked slightly sad. '_Hiei's_ the only one not acting different around me. Giving glances asking to know if I still hate him, injures an animal acting like I can't kill it on my own and leaves…What's up with him.' She sighed. 'All I got, but then again…'

"I don't need anyone."

They continued on much the same. At nights they hunted when needed, slept in close areas with Hiei out of sight 'sleeping' in a tree, Yoko holding her. And when they continued in the morning, or evening pending when they rested, Shio and Nijuu the most active, Katsumo having to break them up before they pisted off Hiei who was either next to Shuichi or ahead scouting. Shuichi was quiet, talkative to Yusuke at times or insighting Yoko to probe and tease him in a kitsune way that apparently only they picked up on. With Kagome in the lead, by herself, when she stopped.

As they approached yet another forest from a sandy rocky area a lone figure walked out of it. He had long grey/white hair and wore black pants and cape. The end of his massive sword had blood dripping from it. Katsumo's eyes widened.

"That sword is longer than he is tall almost."

Kagome looked at him noticing he looked at Hiei, the only member of the group who had a sword. When she pulled out her bow-

Yoko spoke putting his hand on her shoulder. "-Let Hiei take this. If he wants a sword fight he'll get a sword fight."

It took everything in her not to purify Yoko, or at least shock him some. She was _not_ weak and she could do this and defend some pricks who didn't give a flying fuck about-

Yoko looked down at Kagome worried quickly removing his hand with a small burn. "Kagome what is wrong with you?"

She 'growled' to herself. "Nothing."

Hiei stepped forward separate from the group noticing the person indeed was human. He spoke after some time.

"Demon. I'm called Hiroth, though I doubt you care." He looked at him closer. "I want to see if you'll waste my time like the rest, since you seem to be tracking me."

Hiei unsheathed his sword dropping the sheath and stood, let the human run at him and then attacked. And was surprised. The sword heated up some and using his energy in the battle infused small flames around it. Ignoring it figuring it still a good sword he matched the human's attacks move for move. When he managed to shove him back and get a kick in and slice across his arm his nose picked up something.

Yoko sniffed. "He's not human."

Yusuke watched the two blurs go at it. "But how would Maramaru _ever_ get that confused."

"something else we don't know. He doesn't smell demon though."

Hiei growled continuing forward after getting a deep slash in his side. The guy was good, wasn't human, wasn't demon… He couldn't rule out either anymore. As he put up another series of blocks and kicked finding a gap only one thing was important as he quickly jumped over him blocking below and slashed down at his knees.

"You're going to die."

Yusuke laughed. "Hiei and his death threats-"

Yoko cut him off seeing Nijuu acting weird. "-Nijuu."

Nijuu shook his head for a while quickly. "There's something in the forest… that…Reminds me of... You?"

A small chuckle was heard from the forest. "I see at least one spirit kitsune is in working order."

Yoko's eyes narrowed. "Kitsune."

Four foxes were seen coming out of the forest. Two with red hair, one brown, one white/silver. The four all wore different traditional style clothing. The brown kitsune smirked at Nijuu who growled at him, causing the two reds to laugh at him. The white one spoke with a smile.

"It's a rare comdity to meet kitsune in these day in ages that aren't one tailed stuck forever in their true form…But aside of our own jargon. We were commissioned to kill you." He smiled at Yoko. "Though it is a shame." He bowed. "I don't think I've ever had the pleasure Yoko Kurama, though, you are a few years older than I."

Yoko spoke looking dead at him. "Shimata."

Shimata raised a brow. "You've heard of me yet can't even say hello. Once again it is a shame to meet on terms like these…And kitsune normally don't fight one another, but times are changing."

Yoko still spoke. "So then why are you doing this. And I heard you died four hundred fifty years ago."

He smiled. "Very good. I was injured back then and dropped off of the bandit radar for about forty years and moved to China for a long time to work on regrowing my tails." He chuckled some. "I never was the thief you were. Though," he turned to Kagome. "you did bag a tasty mate here Yoko Kurama." He kept eye contact. "I know she's fire and ice, but you know, kitsune don't really care." He licked his lips. "We're just in it for a good rutt in the long run." He looked at Nijuu and Zokusai after a glance at the battle still going on with Hiei and Hiroth. "She made these two full bloods as well? Impressive, you really are that viral Yoko. Another spirit fox…And a fire fox, you do like them rare." He went back to looking at Yoko.

"But to not keep you waiting we're doing _this_ as you say because a certain demon by the name I'm sure you recognize, Chenja, contacted us quite some time ago and was honest with us. They are going to succeed with their plans and I don't want to be left behind. We kitsune are survivors after all, though… One does wonder how you are alive when you've been killed off twice. I see your mainly human there, but the most recent…"

Yoko looked at him. 'Two forest kitsune most likely illusion artist, a spirit fox, and a kitsune.' "You sold out."

"Sold out picked sides early call it what you want. An old trickster can't fool a trickster…" He went back to looking at Kagome. "Though you're the one I'm confused about little one. What has you so pist off when you don't even know me?" He studied her for a while. "Those blue eyes of yours…At me…" he smiled. "You're just pissed off at a trio of foxes and have been for some time but haven't a clue do they? Please feel free to stop me if I'm wrong, human auroras," he licked his lips. "are a specialty of mine. Read 'em like a scroll." He laughed turning his back walking back to the forest. "Guess you're little fox family isn't as content as you want it to be, is it-"

As quick as could be the two red kitsunes ran forward towards the middle of the group and started to attack. Yoko quickly got slashed across the face doing like wise to one of them noticing he couldn't see the spirit fox any longer. Seeing the brown only attacking around Yusuke and Shuichi, and the ever changing yet purposeful pattern the two reds attacked in-

Before Yoko knew it they were all sectioned off from Kagome, facing off against the silver alone. He cursed. He had been tricked. He took a few steps and punched down the brown only to see five red kitsunes all around him, all equal in strength and saw one in the distance fighting around Katsumo grinning. They were indeed skilled at real, _painful_ illusions.

Shimata looked at the two fighting grounds going on and sensed the kitsune magic in the air and smiled at Kagome. "Hello…Not a talker but a pist starer, okay okay." He still smiled at her jumping up as a large stone was hurled past him. "That wasn't even from one of the two reds. You don't have to hide from me love, I know I was right about why you were pist."

Kagome let a single tear fall down her face. The small word confirmed it. Love. They used it _so_ freely. And she would have felt if any youkai were around her, but… He wasn't invading her mind. Everything she had though, was true. Wiping the tear away she took the bow off from her back. Kitsunes were thieves and illusion masters, sexual, cunning, and even the humans knew. And he had used them all on her.

Shimata saw the miko before him keep her bow in her right hand as she pressed her palms together and said a small prayer. "Then you're ready."

Kagome quickly ducked down from a swipe clear across her head figuring a head on attack would come first and infused her bow with her energy going across his ankles only to find him jumping forward over her with a devious smile and claw straight across her back. She let out a shout as blood began to ooze down her back. Shimata ran forward as she stood turning around.

"You'll have to do better than that to realize your anger dove!"

Kagome quickly attacked at him with her bow only finding him jumping aside and attacking directly behind her each time having her to roll down out of the way and attack up, stand as he jumped then block behind again. Finding the pattern more bruising then anything else she quickly picked up a small rock keeping it behind her attacking at him with her bow again, found him to jump behind her and with her other hand threw the infused rock at him.

Shimata growled some with a large burn on his chest and quickly jumped back, only to find the miko with a twig already strung aimed at him. He quickly jumped aside from the other edge of the forest from where Kagome was seeing the large purity arrow flying past him, and another, and another, and another. He laughed in the air seeing her unable to hit him with the arrow.

"Face it love, you're human now and reaction time is slower than me asleep. You can't catch me this way-"

The silver let out a loud growl finding himself knocked down severly as he ran into a barrier, dome of energy. The arrows had been a distraction to move him where she wanted. Growling knowing he'd die before leaving the barrier he quickly ran at Kagome and paused seeing her hands glowing. Not the pure energy that the barrier was and the arrows and rock had been-

Shimata came to a dead halt seeing her open her eyes, now blood red. And on her hands, extremely tained energy. He saw the glimmer in her eyes and growled. She was not the superior one in this fight, but still, she was enjoying it too much-

"-I'll kill you quickly if you do something for me."

Yusuke was certain that now, with all of the illusions going on, fifteen red foxes and eleven brown ones, that only Yoko and the three, if even the brown one, could tell what was real and what only felt real. Getting pounced on again feeling his insides pist as he was he tossed the large seven tailed fox off of him sending a jakai gun at one about to pounce on him again. Annoyed he was going to let the brown fox already in air pounce on him and punch through his stomach only to find a large black five tailed fox pounce on the brown mid air, bite through the next quickly with help from Yusuke defending and a loud yelp was heard as eight red fox illusions and two brown disappeared.

Kagome briefly closed her eyes as a gap appeared in the purify dome and walked through. She only had one injury on her, the bruises were already healed and the clawing through her back had already stopped bleeding and would be fine by morning. When the barrier dissipated the blood of the spirit kitsune wasn't seen when she realized everything she had done was against an illusion.

"Is everything an illusion."

A red kitsune looked up, let out a small bark and soon five kitsunes were seen jumping over the rest quickly. On separate sides than the rest upon landing one went into humanoid form and smiled.

"Well that was fun." _She_ smiled. "Well, not for Manico because she really is dead but for the rest of us yes." She blew a kiss at Yoko. "Work on detecting illusion better Yoko Kurama. I'll look forward to seeing you again."

Yoko growled as the five ran off then immediately looked to his mate and was very confused. She stood alone with her eyes closed, youkai, necklace in hand. It made him wonder how powerful that kitsune really was, and who really killed one that wasn't an illusion. He saw Hiei on one knee breathing slowly, the possible human gone. And couldn't help but wonder what was the purpose of the meeting they had.

'Weaknesses then attack again later. Meaning the kitsune wanted Kagome demon, she's technically weaker in this form.'

Kagome opened her eyes not wanting to think any longer. Thoughts were what got her into this mess now. Thinking was what led her to let the spirit fox bed her, mate her, knock her up, build up her hopes, shatter them, and leave her confused. She didn't know what was what anymore.

With Yoko. The rest was as clear as before. And she was going to kill those bastards. She didn't sense the rest too injured and started her walk into the forest. If they had something to say they could say it to her face.

Yusuke held Shio and Nijuu back. "This is more than PMS, and she's not even pisted off, at whatever it is that's left her this calm."

Yoko left the group going towards his mate in the distance in the forest. He had never felt her soul like this. Shattered. Upon tracking her further he realized that she had made two souls for herself, or one soul, two parts. One was shattered, one was strong, vibrant, warm, determined. What did each part of her soul mean, and why were there two parts at all? He continued quickly though the forest.

'What if it's me, and if it is…'

Yoko thought longer, that perhaps what the other spirit fox had said was true. That Kagome was angry at him, Nijuu and Zokusai for some reason that he didn't know because he didn't know she was upset in the first place. And when she was angry, she was normally hurt as well. That he could feel in parts of the shattered soul, half he decided to call it. Of course and not even having to think about it he would fix whatever was wrong with them, hurting her making her angry. He knew why she didn't speak up, because she didn't want to be a bother, in the way, let them do what they wanted, she wasn't important-

Yoko stopped dead on his run hearing the voices and quickly lowered his energy output. He didn't know why she had walked into the forest then ran off in the first place, but she had stopped, sat down, and was speaking to Hiei now.

As soon as she realized that she was running she stopped. Knowing she wasn't trying to out run anyone now, and if she was she couldn't, she waited for the rest to catch up to her and sat down on a mossy rock and didn't bother looking up.

Hiei looked at Kagome stopping from the run he too was on once he noticed she was gone. "Why'd you stop running."

"I didn't realize I was running."

Hiei sat across from her. "Hn."

Kagome looked up at him. "I'm not being sarcastic Hiei."

Hiei quickly looked up at her and instantly calmed down. It was the first time she had said his name…Since the first time he started calling her weak. Either she was about to die or something was really wrong. She was better than him and shouldn't forgive him.

"And the necklace."

She still looked at him. "I asked, he removed it." She looked down again after a 'Hn'. "Power and energy aside do you wonder why you're alive."

"Those are the only two reasons so no. We're both alive now because we are not weak and have proven ourselves to whoever comes up to us, friend or foe."

"I know why you're not calling me a worthless piece of shit any longer Hiei don't butter it up now."

Hiei looked at her with a pause. "You finally know why."

She raised a brow. "I was lying I don't know and I don't really care unless you plan to tell me." She growled to herself. "Unlike some people."

Hiei would be killed by Yoko if he told her. 'How the hell she still doesn't know after all these years and now is beyond me.' "Yoko."

Yoko growled at him. "Leave now."

Kagome watched as Hiei took to the trees and was quickly out of sensory range, at least hers. She was still a little fuzzy from being human for so long, though she supposed she should be used to it. Maybe she was glad Sesshomaru had decided to _help_ her out with this part of her training as well. She looked at Yoko putting everything away ignoring him how she used to do with Nijuu when he spoke to her. Nijuu never could tell, she didn't really care if Yoko could or not. If she had this much doubt in her mind it didn't matter if it was true or not, if Yoko was interested in keeping her around because he saw her as a pet. Something he found attractive at first and liked the idea of, had to look after it and found that it was interesting. Except she was a fuckable pet.

But if he did think of her as a pet or just really was in it for the sex in the long run… She was a forbidden child, ice and fire. She would never find anything like this again a day in her life because everyone hated her in one way or another.

'But can I let myself, live with myself knowing that I would be loving Yoko and let myself get used day after day if I knew he didn't love me? I'm not going to find anything like this again because of what I am, but how long can I pretend, lie to myself.'

_'You asked yourself the same thing when you told yourself you would stay with the half dog in the past and you knew he would only use you because he loved a dead woman. And you died on the inside and became what you are today. You can't live with it, and if you decided to how much worse could your life truly be little one?'_

Kagome closed her eyes giving another response to Yoko. It was the second time she had heard that voice and now she was assured it wasn't her. But who was it then?

Yoko looked down at his mate seeing her complaint, but more than normal. She answered his questions, didn't put much insite on them and let him do what he wanted. And the only thing he wanted to do was help her not be so tortured in her life but couldn't if she wouldn't open up to him at all. He put a hand on her chin and lifted it up.

"Kagome what is wrong."

Kagome decided she would have to pay attention now and looked to the side. _Kagome_. For the longest she just wanted people to learn her name and use it, but with him…She'd even settle for wench right about now. Maybe she couldn't let herself be happy with him or anyone, but it was a survival instinct she wouldn't abandon any time soon. She put her hand on his wrist removing it from her and walked off turning her back to him.

"It doesn't matter any longer."

Yoko was not going to let her walk away from this and jumped in front of her and held her from walking around him. "Mate not telling me something is about the same as covering it up or lying to me I can fell something is extremely wrong and if it is with me or not I do not want and you should not be okay with having a shattered soul, this much pain." He looked at her, himself hurt, her, cold. "Just tell me something, please."

_Mate_. She looked down at herself and supposed her soul was shattered. It was either true or she had convinced herself that she didn't need or want a mate that was just using her even if it was a lie at a shot for false happiness. She spoke still looking down.

"Either you know or you don't, I'm not telling you one way or another now. I'm just not going to lie to myself again. I made that mistake once and it cost me this and doing it again…" She looked up at him smiling some. "I'd probably kill myself if I did it again and I'm alive as long as I have been so far because of my own accomplishments, nothing else." She sighed seeing him not understanding and figured as much. "Yoko I have no intentions of telling you now while we're trying to do all of this stuff with the end of the world as we know it but for now I, just don't want to be around you if I can help it."

Yoko did not understand at all. "What has brought these thoughts. You are angry at myself, Nijuu, Zokusai like that illusion said, but why? And why won't you tell us anything why won't you tell your mate any-"

Kagome stopped him, she didn't want to hear mate from him anylonger. "Yoko… At first it was anger, then it became an understanding. I'm not telling you and not because you didn't tell me-" She cut herself off. "And I'm not blaming you in any way at all, far from it." She sighed looking up at the setting sun. "Once again it's my stupid fault again and it took me being human for a while to figure it out but I'm fine with it. Free will, I made the decision and I know how I'm going to live with it because I don't want to die anymore-"

"-Kagome tell me."

Kagome looked at him. "You don't need to hear this right now Yoko."

Yoko looked at her. "I know what I need to hear this is what is causing your soul this much turmoil tell me mate. Don't presume that I can't take this information."

Kagome nodded. "Fine. I pledged myself to Inuyasha back in the past when he asked me to stay with him and not return to this time. And I knew he was only using me because he was in love with a dead woman walking the earth. But I stayed with him until he basically killed me, until the very end, because I loved him and didn't care after a while if it was returned to me or not. And then I pledged myself to you and you took me as a mate. And I love you Yoko and I still do but I am not going to let myself wash away and die inside, because I do know what I feel inside and it's not what it should be. I am not going to let myself be used one way ever again like that and I guess dying inside does leave your soul shattered but you know what it does hurt. And I don't aim to do the same to you but I'd be lying to you which I have never done if I told you I wanted the same things you do."

Yoko felt himself wither away. "You don't want to be..."

Kagome felt bad and was unable to hide it. "I don't want to hurt you but… Pain is the last thing I would ever want for you Yoko but I don't want to be used like that again-"

"-what possessed you to ever think that I don't care, don't love you and wouldn't do anything for you Kagome. Just tell me."

She smiled at him. "Call it a voice of reason but if you would do anything for me Yoko even though it is too late, do something for yourself and move on. And no, this isn't an attempt at me telling you I'll only get you killed and you can do better. I still think you can but this was your choice, and this is mine."

The rest walked up about ten minutes later seeing Kagome waiting against a tree, unreadable as normal. Shuichi had felt it a long time back but wouldn't say anything about it now. Yoko stood with an overcast over him, looking down. Yusuke raised a brow knowing something was wrong as Kagome started walking again and the rest followed. Nijuu dropped to the end with his father and spoke.

"Dad? Is Mom okay what's going on?"

Yoko looked at Nijuu looking up at him confused. He couldn't say anything. He hung his head again getting a whine from Nijuu who trotted up to Zokusai and spoke to him.

"Brother what's with Dad?"

"If he's not telling it's not our place to probe him." He looked ahead. "Nor mother. We'll just give her space."

After two days passed they made it outside of the massive forest that surrounded a large estate. Seeing the number of dog demons around the place, never having seen that many in his life Yusuke stepped forward in seeing something extremely wrong with Yoko still and spoke seeing the three dogs at the gate growling at him. He spoke ignoring it.

"Is the lord of the estate in."

A brown dog glared at him. "Why would _you_ want to know."

Yusuke looked at him. "Because I, we do and if you have a problem with that, us, myself then you can let your lord deal with it."

The dog glared at him. "Do not presume that you rein in the lands to which you walk in, boy."

Shuichi spoke seeing Yusuke about to fight. "If it would serve the lord of the house well, would you at least announce our, arrival. I'm sure you all know of the current events as of most recent and we're here from Maramaru sama of the sorts."

The golden dog nodded and went inside. About five minutes later the brown dog spoke still not keeping his eyes off of Yusuke.

"Enter and wait in the foyer."

Yusuke entered, with the brown dog waiting directly in front of him and kept his gaze looked on him. The house was very similar to one of the smaller ones they had seen that were Sesshomaru's, though none of them were small in the least bit. He noticed that the house was filled with a number of different color dog demons and none had the markings on their faces like Sesshomaru did and figured it, along with the crescent moon must be a mark of royalty. He had never seen a dog demon aside of Sesshomaru and his sons and wondered why they all seemingly stayed here. They were powerful so why not reign free through out makai?

'Unless they want to stay together and are arrogant like Sesshomaru. And even if my old man and these dogs fought way back then that was at least a thousand years ago why not move over it I'm not after everyone's lands I just want to live with my wife!'

Nijuu thought to Zokusai. 'Brother? Sesshomaru keeps you around and can tolerate you or something. Have you seen this demon we're waiting on?'

'No.'

He hesitated with his thought. 'Mom talks to you more than she…Well you and Mom get along. Does she know what's wrong with Dad? Why he's so sad and depressed and torn and hurt-'

'-I don't know.'

Nijuu suppressed a whine, he felt them speaking in the forest days ago and knew… He looked up seeing a white/pale blue haired pale skinned demon with magenta dual face marks on each side of the face also on the wrist. He figured there were more on his body but didn't really want to know. He wasn't curious like _that_. A blue moon on his forehead, crescent, wearing a dark blue and red outlining traditional garb the same pattern and style as the white one, also with a yellow and blue obi. And he honestly couldn't tell that the demon before him wasn't Sesshomaru, at all. He looked towards Hiei for a while, couldn't read him, then to his brother. Even he couldn't tell.

"Maramaru did not send you here what is it that you seek here."

Nijuu noticed as Shuichi spoke, the male before him had a voice deep like Sesshomaru, but it sounded different. He wasn't Sesshomaru.

"Maramaru sama did inform us that a human hybrid by the name of Hiroth and the demon Akumu were looking for your father as are we. We look to find Akumu and Chenja before they find us and have no leads at all to follow, this is what Sesshomaru sama instructed Kagome to do."

The inu looked at them over for a moment then eyes returning to Shuichi. "And what makes you think that I know of his whereabouts."

He nodded. "I have no doubt that you do lord."

"Then you should have doubt mixed breed. To whom you seek is after the same human hybrid called Hiroth. I know where neither are though I suspect the earlier is awaiting for your arrival."

Shuichi wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not, but he wouldn't be getting any assistance from Yoko and the twins weren't developed enough yet. "We have passed Hiroth just before we entered the north and he left before his fight was finished. We happened to come across him, do you know to whom we might ask for his whereabouts."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You should ask your own company." He turned his back. "You have five days to leave my lands or you will be killed and do not come to me presuming I have to tell you anything at all. If you've already come from the west and most of the south I will tell you the human hybrid is in Japan, unless the lot of you truly are fools."

Yusuke scoffed going past the inu entering the forest again. "All he had to say was 'hey losers my old man's after that dude with the massive sword in the east somewhere'." He kicked a rock going further. "Do I act like that when you all call me Toushin?"

Shuichi smiled pleasantly. "Not to that extent though I do believe that is only due to the fact that you haven't been alive as long as he has."

Yusuke smirked. "Fine fine. So when we're in the east. If we don't get any clues do we randomly wonder around or do I have to ask that bastard."

"As well Yusuke you can't accurately call Raizen a bastard if no one knows if his parents were mated-"

"-damnit you know what I mean." He shook his head. "There's a small ass hole in the barrier up ahead I'm going into ningenkai to call Kieko, tell her I'll be gone for an extended more amount of time and right back." He walked off. "You commin' Kagome?" He turned around walking backwards and rolled his eyes. "Let me rephrase, come with me now Kagome."

Kagome followed Yusuke towards the portal as he exited taking out his cell phone and called in the park. There were a few children near by in seeing how it was school hours and figured delinquents wouldn't ask questions that might get themselves in trouble. She didn't know why Yusuke was asking for her. Of course to talk about why Yoko was so depressed and she didn't want anything to do with anyone. He wasn't going to be getting any answers, even if he was Toushin.

Yusuke pushed the button on the cell phone and placed the small thing he was surprised still in one piece back in his pocket. He turned to Kagome and looked at her.

"Kagome what's wrong? It's been going on for a while now, weeks. And since that fight with the foxes and you got the necklace off Yoko's going around like he's dying and I know you two…" Yusuke looked at her worried. "That fox said you were angry at them." He saw her stare at him. "Kagome we're not your enemies and I would have thought you to know that for bold honesty by now what is wrong? There's no way that this could have come from no where and it's not just him. Even Nijuu's more tame because of it and normally I'd be rejoiced at this but… What happened."

"If it makes this go along quicker I'm not going to tell you."

"Damnit Kagome I'm your friend Yoko's your friend Yoko's your mate why aren't you two even being around each other…" Yusuke looked at her closer, grabbed her incase she decided to get away and lifted up her shirt some looking at her hip, let her go and looked at her. "You two aren't…"

Kagome let out a sigh. 'If it's gone then that means he finally let go of me, at least physically. Once he's not dead any longer his spirit will move on, if that's even possible for him. And I want it to be.' "Make of it what you want Toushin is there anything else you want."

Yusuke felt bad. 'She wouldn't do it to keep him safe, and I know Yoko loves her without a doubt otherwise he would have been just fine and of having sex with the first thing with tits that met his standards…' "I thought you love Yoko."

"I do love him."

Yusuke was even more confused. "This is permanent."

"I'd hope so."

Yusuke lowered his head some. "Fine. Let's find Raizen."

_'If he asked any more questions I'd even start to say something else.'_

Kagome lowered her head. "Like don't blame this on Yoko."

Yusuke turned around. "You say something?" He saw her shake her head. "Let's go then."

Yoko watched as Kagome walked straight past him and everyone else and started up walking towards the lands that called themselves east. He turned seeing Yusuke emerge looking hurt, sad, but mainly extremely confused.

"How's Katsumi."

Yusuke turned to Yoko a bit shocked to hear his voice. "She's trying to walk around now and Kieko's having a field day buying dresses and making holes for the tail. She's fine."

Yoko nodded. "Does Raizen still speak to you in your mind when he feels like it."

"Unfortunately."

"Then I suggest not taken this group inside of his, home, and least of all your children. If he has some type of Vendetta against you your children wouldn't stand up against him at all." He saw Yusuke look up at him. "and no I've never seen Raizen, I'm not that old Yusuke."

Yusuke smiled some. "Just a wonder on my mind that's all."

"And if you have something to say and you're thinking about it that much Hiei wherever he is will hear you if Nijuu looks at you as if you are possessed. Words from you can do no more harm."

"She said she loves you and hasn't stopped."

Yoko looked ahead of her. "I… Don't know."

"You didn't know that she still loves you?"

"That as well… Why and where it came from but pushing it on her only pushes me more away and I can not live without her in my life even if she… Can." Yoko shook her head. "But I can't lead Nijuu and Zokusai on as well and let them continue to be…This. I'm stable Yusuke."

"I'm still worried about you two."

"Appreciated but as of now you need to focus on what you will do once you come upon Raizen."

Yusuke nodded. "Go in demand it upon him beat his ass if need be then leave. I don't want a damn thing to do with that bastard."

"And refrain from calling him a bastard."

Yusuke smiled up at him. "That'll be the most difficult thing."

Kagome looked in the distance seeing the rest settled down from the day. They had traveled for about two days straight when Yoko called rest. She wondered if he saw Shuichi as his son or himself or just someone that was related to him but didn't think much about it. That wasn't important.

'Finding these two demons, killing them, reporting to Sesshomaru who'll banish me to the ends of the earth and tell me never to see him again unless there's someone too powerful after the jewel for me to kill. If I die it's my responsibility to find him before and let him know so that he may revive me and I will never have a moments of peace in my life.' She smiled looking up. 'Guy doesn't have to try hard if that's what this is now.'

_'Why even follow what the dog demon says? Because he'll kill you? You're killing yourself. Why are you even still here?'_

Kagome blinked looking forward. Yet another question ontop of the many she already had floating around in her mind. She looked around seeing Hiei even further away from the group and figured he was either already asleep or looking at her. She shook her head. She didn't have time to figure out what was up with him and didn't really care. She had eaten two days ago, she was fine, _despite_ what anyone said to her.

Zokusai looked on seeing his mother finally go to sleep without eating once again. He didn't care if she wanted to keep him away, he wasn't going to let her. He wasn't going to lose her again.

Yusuke stood ontop of a cliff days later seeing it ahead. Rocks, dead landscape, no plant life. Was this what his father called home? And if so why the hell would anyone fight for this? Realizing that he had just called Raizen father in his head he growled to himself.

'That old blacksmith said there was some spell on the place. So maybe this is it. My old man's shack can't look this damn bad and if it does then maybe he's that damn old and can't tell any longer.' He continued looking ahead. 'Interesting. Maybe I'll find something of good use here.' He looked back towards a small hill seeing the rest asleep. Then Kagome, then Hiei above her out of her viewing range asleep. 'Out of Yoko's viewing range as well. He _still_ likes her even though she's made it clear she doesn't want to like anyone.' He shook his head looking back at the dead land in front of him. 'At least he can hide it from her…Second thought he does a bad job at it and Kagome just doesn't pick up on it.' He briefly closed his eyes. 'I'll head out come dawn.'

Kagome opened her eyes in the black of night knowing everyone was asleep, and for the first time that she's come across of since she's known of his existence Yusuke was actually awake keeping guard. She smiled some at the thought and stood to briefly feed herself, finding a small animal on the hill. Finishing it she came down the hill when she noticed Hiei, sleeping with his hand on his hilt. Above where she was once sleeping. Shaking her head knowing that she had been around foxes for too long she sat up on the hill and waited.

Hiei opened his eyes seeing the rest still asleep and Yusuke sitting on the cliff alone. Looking closer he found him asleep and wondered why-

"-Why are you looking at me when I'm asleep."

Hiei turned around standing. He was getting slack if he hadn't noticed her awake and behind him up on the hill side. Or she was getting better.

"Don't become full of yourself woman I make my rest where I feel like it."

Kagome walked down the hill past him. "Fine."

Hiei wasn't going to get another chance like this. "Why aren't you mated to Yoko any longer."

Kagome stopped and turned around. "Does everyone know now."

"The brats don't, they couldn't tell if they wanted to since Nijuu's too much of a fool to use what abilities he has."

"He's not focused. It'll come to him with time. And I'm not going to answer your question."

"Why."

She turned going back down the hill. "Because."

Yusuke woke up seeing Kagome away from the rest and went in front of the majority of the group knowing her and Hiei could hear him. They were all awake and he wasn't going to get his sons killed if his old man didn't find them worthy.

"I'll be back eventually."

Shio spoke. "Can I come Dad?"

Yusuke waved his hand in the distance walking/jogging. "You're a pain Shio but I don't want you dead!"

Yusuke made it further into the desolate land. For hours. Infact he had kept the same pace for an entire day seeing nothing. When a wave of energy flushed over him. Almost stopping but not wanting to be seen as weak from his old man or watching eyes he continued on. When he noticed his eyes were closed, he opened them and was a bit confused.

He was jogging through serine valleys with lush peaceful forests, water falls, birds singing in the sky. Flowers. Squirrels. Lakes. Even a damn family of rabbits-

"What the fuck."

Yusuke stopped running seeing two bald men that he presumed were demons wearing plain clothing step in front of him.

"You've come alone Raizen sama."

Yusuke growled at them. "Do not call me by _that_ name."

The one on his left laughed. "Just like your father." He started running and shouted in the distance. "Come Uremeshi sama! Your father is not a lazy man!"

Yusuke easily caught up to their run finding it boring. Even worse looking at the almost Disney view around him. Growling to himself he saw an edge and the two bald men jump off of it. The land was desolate once again, stone, for a very short while that led to a massive structure of stone and other materials he couldn't identify. The two slowed down immediately to a walk as they entered through the small double doors and stopped. The other who hadn't spoken to him nodded.

"Raizen sama is waiting in the northern tower…It is perfectly safe for your family and associates here Uremeshi sama. Shall I send for them?"

Yusuke laughed once. "They ain't gonna think it's safe if I'm not coming for them." He gave his cell phone to him after a few quick pushes of the buttons. "Give it to the grown Spirit Fox."

Yusuke saw him walk out of the door then start his run again. Not sure what to think of the place and finding the décor better than the stupid happy shit he just ran through he avoided the people in the halls and on the stairs that bowed to him, finding them all basically human looking and continued for the north tower. Annoyed at spiral stair cases from the past he quickly made work of them and opened the metal door.

The room was plain, stone, with one window letting in natural light with metal bars going across it. The only other thing in the room was a large black stone chair with a man sitting it in. With white/grey large and long hair similar to his own except longer in the front and a bit taller. He wore a yellow head band, light blue pants with wrappings on the outside of them. From his elbows to his wrist were bandaged though he wasn't injured. Yusuke glared at him.

"Bastard."

Raizen looked at him. "Idiot. You're the bastard, not myself." He scoffed. "Like a pathetic piece of shit in front of me all of that good blood gone to waist and you can't even do a damn good thing about it. _And_ you took a human for a mate-"

"-if you got a damn fucking problem with me and mine then why the hell do you keep getting into my head!"

Raizen laughed some seeing him lose composure. "Your brother would have liked you, as a person an in bed but the bastard's dead and has been since before you were even thought of." He saw the confused look Yusuke was giving him. "Siblings of our kind since there aren't _that_ many of us tend to fuck one another. Good rutt no offspring so there's no problems."

Yusuke calmed himself down as much as he could. "So then you sick bastard why this why taunt me why try to control me during fights when I'm-"

"-with your _wife_?" He narrowed his eyes. "Because I can. And I can make her scream more than your pathetic ass ever could hope for." He looked at him closer. "And what are you looking at? Never seen your old man before or something or like what you see? I'm not into that in any form."

"Why do you have so many more markings over your ugly ass than I do."

Raizen smirked. "Because I'm old damnit I wasn't born with this many." He pointed. "The one that spirals on my face formed when I was a thousand and finished ten years later. They're denser above the forearms and the lower back and if you can manage to get another mate who's _not_ human when you're five hundred you get some around your little dick that females just love." He shook his head. "You don't even know me and yet you dislike me. That's the problem with you boy, stupid and you don't know a damn thing."

"Yeah? And what the fuck do you know then? What makes you so special and if you got something to say get up to my face and make something about it."

"I know because I have lived and seen these things and that makes me special, unique and someone you should try listening to some time instead of refuting. Maybe most of the times I got into your head was because your stupid bastard ass was about to get killed." He smirked. "And I don't have ot get up if I don't want to." He saw the anger in his eyes yet his calm demeanor and raised his energy some. "If you can get me out of this chair I'll do something for ya bastard. Bet you'll like that. Won't have to be around your old man."

Yusuke raised his energy. "Asshole."

"Yes I have one and useless taunts aren't going to get my _asshole_ out of this seat. Focus, concentrate, and hate me later." He saw Yusuke shot a jakai gun at him only to have it dissipate away from his energy and then start to attack it fist on. He laughed out loud. "You really are pathetic! You can't even use all of the energy that is part of your birth right bastard!"

Yusuke raised his energy even more, markings stand out more and started attacking. "Shut up!"

Yoko looked up seeing Kagome sitting afar with her eyes closed and on the opposite side Hiei doing the same thing. He knew it was because of their previous life styles and not because of anything else. He stood a few moments later with Shuichi doing the same. Two bald men wearing plain grey and purple clothing were seen running towards them and quickly stopped to a walk once near. The one on the left spoke.

"Yoko Kurama." He bowed. "Raizen sama has requested this to you."

Yoko thought flipping the phone open. 'I suppose Raizen would be Yusuke's official name, to which he probably told them _not_ to call him by. His message is brief: Speaking with old man, bald man takes to the shack, watch my children.' Yoko spoke with a nod. "Let's go."

The two bowed to the rest. "We will be running. If anyone can not keep up they will not be allowed into the estate."

The other spoke. "Are you prepared with your belongings?"

Yoko smirked at Shuichi. "Ready?"

Shuichi sighed. "You're having entirely too much fun with this."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Nijuu turned into his fox form with a yawn and when he opened his eyes the rest were already ahead running. He let out a whine and ran ahead and once he noticed the pace the bald men, whom he knew had to be demon but looked perfectly human, found himself rather enjoyed. He had suspected them to go as fast as possible so that the weak wouldn't be allowed to enter. It was just above a trot for him. He noticed Zokusai and Yoko also changed likewise, running this way was just more fun than on two legs. He looked around seeing Hiei on the left running dead next to one bald man and Kagome, further away on the right, towards the middle easily keeping up. Shio was enjoying himself and was probably thankful now for all of the races they had had. Shuichi was next to Yoko, whom he noticed was keeping watch over him.

Then there was Katsumo, who was running on the right side of the other bald man glaring at him some. He smiled for a running fox. This was fun.

And it was still fun about thirty hours later when a wave of energy flooded over him and he found himself in a beautiful landscape. He quickly ran off to the side ready to pounce on a deer, never having the meat in his life when a bark from his father brought him back to attention. He whined some, but hoped he'd be able to come back to the place. He noticed Shuichi looked a bit tired but was keeping up just fine. Not too long later the landscape changed again to stone and a large building was seen. They stopped the run, the three changing back and the two bald men nodding.

"It seems as if the one with human blood of your group is quite capable as well. Welcome."

Yoko spoke as they entered, only seeing the human looking people walking around. "And of the younger Raizen sama."

"He is with his father and will not be leaving for quite some time. Your rooms await you, if you have any questions feel free to ask. As well you will all be advised to clean yourself immediately." He saw Katsumo looking at him. "Is there something that I can help you with young lord."

Katsumo glared at him. "Why won't you tell me what is really going on."

He smiled at him. "You'll sense it soon enough."

The other bald man chuckled some. "They're probably talking now without the younger angry at the lord Raizen. Would you care to know anything else?"

Yoko spoke before he could. "We're fine."

They nodded. "Very well. You're free to do as you please within reason, even leave the main grounds. If you go further than the serine scene the young spirit fox so wished to indulge in the protectiveness around this place will block you out and unless you are lord Raizen, lord Raizen, lord Raizen, or lord Raizen you will not be able to sense that one of your party is not inside of it and can not enter again."

Nijuu immediately went up to his father. "Dad can I _please_ go to that area again? Please? Please?"

He shook his head. "Fine. While you're here stick with Shio." _"And never let him alone in this place for too long. The same goes for you with Katsumo, Zokusai, though he probably already knows by now from me cutting him off."_

Nijuu took off running. "Come on-" He heard a bark from his father and walked. "-err…Let's run once we're outside I wanna eat a deer!"

Shuichi looked around. "What type of demons are these."

Yoko walked off keeping tabs on Katsumo. 'Normally Shio would be the fool to worry about, but Katsumo wants to learn what is going on. I don't sense anything wrong about this place, but if Yusuke doesn't want his children knowing or doing something they might not want to learn I will not be the one on the other side of his wrath after facing Raizen.' "I'm not sure. Come, you're sleeping now."

Shuichi sighed. 'Of course Yoko.'

_'I'm only looking out for the skillful human Shuichi, such hostility from you won't do well. You're still without a wife as I recall.'_

Shuichi sighed. 'I'm not trying to complain at all Yoko. I'll go to sleep.'

Katsumo looked around seeing Kagome walking off and Hiei already gone. Zokusai was waiting around… But he didn't plan on doing this with him, even if there was something Yoko didn't want him to know about. He just had a feeling, a sense, this was something that he was supposed to do and figure out on his own.

Yoko, Shuichi and his father on different occasions has said that there was something about his _grandfather_ putting it in the lightest of terms. Even when he was little and around Souta his father had called him 'the bastard'. And that that bastard was a ruling lord of makai or something. Meaning he would be as well one day… But now that he was here… He didn't know what any of that meant and wanted to know. Why didn't his father want him to?

Zokusai looked at him. "Only a fox can out fox a fox. If you're going somewhere I'm going as well."

Katsumo looked at him. "You're really perceptive."

"You already knew that."

"I wanna know more about, me."

"Not happening."

Katsumo sighed. "You wanna go into that Disney forest Nijuu's so excited about and find something to eat? I don't want to be serviced on."

Zokusai walked after him. 'Doesn't want to be serviced on but wants to learn more about who he is… I wish I knew more about my Mom… And that I could buck up and tell her that I do care and I'm an idiot for ignoring her. Nijuu's probably oblivious to all that's going on… But why won't even-' Zokusai stopped. "Katsumo I have to find my Dad now…Please don't do anything until I get back."

Katsumo nodded. "Okay, promise."

Yoko stood outside of the room given to Shuichi finding it simple, with a sink, small wash room, bed, and spare training outfits. The human was as much of a fool as he was-

Yoko turned around to see Zokusai standing behind him giving him a slight glare. "You have improved. Where's Katsumo."

"He's not going anywhere right now. Why did you let me figure it out for myself and not tell me."

Yoko couldn't tell if Zokusai knew or was getting him to tell him. 'They boy is good. Fox wits trained by Sesshomaru, he'll be a force once he's older.' "What would you have gained from knowing now on your own or myself telling you earlier on but the same result."

"Your own personal insight."

Yoko smiled on the inside. 'You are trying to bait me Zokusai, this will be interesting. I haven't done this with you since you were around five and you got flustered easily from losing to me all the time... Perhaps now because your mother is here…' "My own personal insight that you could have asked your mother on or someone who's older than yourself that you travel with. Why did you not ask earlier."

"It's a, personal subject and I did not want to cause any discomfort to Mom. I know how well she hears but even if she doesn't claim us she has Mother senses that chime in at times."

"Very true. So you were looking for a time for myself alone."

"You are my father, she is my mother, I would come to you."

"I wanted you to have time to think of it on your own, if I had told you you wouldn't have understood everything as if you coming to it on your own, as long as your conclusions are accurate."

Zokusai nodded. "To be honest… You know how Nijuu gets random thoughts in his head because even with all of the training everyone puts him through he's still untrained… He was looking at you for a long enough time and told me that you didn't want Mom as your mate any longer but thought it was a bad dream he had with his eyes open. The fool didn't know but I figured it out with you and Mom having no interaction, your depression and other, obstacles that normally wouldn't inhibit you, father."

Yoko spoke. "This is what Nijuu thought."

"Yes."

Yoko nodded. "Well done Zokusai. Fifteen years has given you time to improve on your other skills."

"I am a fox father now tell me the truth."

"First games aside, did Nijuu truly think that."

Zokusai growled. "He's a fool of course not. He knows something is wrong but is too caught up with deer and bunnies to take the time to find out."

"We're no longer, mates."

Zokusai nodded. "All I wanted to know. I'm not apologizing for the intrusion if it is one."

"Why aren't you talking to your mother though. You two had a bond that didn't need words, it only amplified it."

Zokusai looked down. "That's all my fault. It started slightly before she turned human and… I had asked a question and I didn't like her answer and yes I'm usually understanding… But then I cursed her dead son and she just backed down almost submissive to _me_. And I did apologize profusely and she said it was fine…And when I talked to her when she was human, more so she came to me I just wanted to leave… And I know I messed up but, I, can't…"

Yoko nodded. "You still have time-"

The walls shook. "-GD bastard shut the fuck up!"

Zokusai smiled some at his father. "Yusuke really likes Raizen sama I see."

Yoko smirked. "Likewise. Tell me this Zokusai why did you first go to Sesshomaru to be trained. Was it because of me or another reason."

"When I was six I first started going on weekends when you and Yusuke would go into Makai and said we weren't old enough yet or something. I remember being in his home, and him training me when I was a toddler. And not fighting, a different type. So I went back and asked why he cared about us though Nijuu was too busy playing the entire time. And he told me I reminded him of my mother in a way I wouldn't understand, that you would be lax on me and I should come back to him for training. He didn't demand it but left it up to me, and I wanted to be trained and be strong enough to kill those who killed my mother… And he looked after me, taught me stuff you never did and I didn't know I needed…Even if he was stricter than anything anywhere and wasn't hugs and smiles… It felt good being around him and I looked up to him. Which is why it hurt so much when he didn't tell me my mother was alive-"

"-Son of a bastard I told you to shut up!"

Yoko smiled at him. "You have no need to apologize…Though, perhaps we should leave before the yelling this loudly commences again."

_''You don't need to wallow but be strong and get out of it and be ready to fight when the time comes. Just keep distanced from the fox."_

Kagome sighed sitting on a wall outside of the structure. She wasn't about to be in the happy go lucky wilderness scene, made her want to vomit. But she was better off, right?

_"Ask the fire demon."_

Kagome blinked and shook her head. She had _never_ called Hiei the fire demon in her own mind. Bastard, jack ass, prick, shoventish, ass, twit, hot head, Hiei, but never fire demon, he's not. Knowing she had lost it she decided to listen to herself, got up and went to the roof seeing Hiei looking off at the side. He spoke as she walked up to him.

"Your son's a fool, but everyone already knew that. He let a rabbit escape him."

'Why did I come up here? Ask him what? I'm even more confused.' "Another reason why I don't claim him. Why are you up here."

Hiei continued looking forward. Yoko knew he still loved her, and Hiei knew even if they weren't mated that taking Kagome as his would get him killed. He would never have her, but he couldn't stop thinking about her as a love.

"I'm not going into the meadow and the demons inside are strange to me."

"Am I bothering your piece."

"No."

Kagome sat down looking off next to him. She hadn't been this close to Hiei in a long time. She couldn't balance out her yoki with him, his wasn't even that stable. She dragged an ice dagger across her arm knowing he didn't like it, no one did, but only Yoko and Yusuke could help her out with it, and both were unattainable to her. She stopped after a while taking in a breath. She'd be okay. Once this was over. And then she'd disappear… Maybe she was supposed to ask him that. She spoke a few days later after he came back to the roof.

"If I were to ask you of something in the near future, do you think you might say yes."

Hiei looked at her. "What are you planning."

"Would you say yes."

"Hn."

Kagome sat on the edge of the roof after eating something. And she _had_ gone into the happy forest and thought back on it.

And she had cried. She hated crying. It showed weakness. And she knew exactly why she cried. Because she knew where she wanted to be and couldn't be there. With him. Whom she loved.

'I don't mean to hurt you, but… Never did I ever think that I'd even find love, much less have to refute-' Kagome punched a tree causing the song birds to flee it. "No…I'm sorry-"

Kagome stopped, looked up and saw a flash of white disappear, and what she knew were eight tails behind it. She cried for a bit longer and stopped letting her thoughts take her once more.

'Why am I even doing this any more when I just want this to end. How can I make it end? What? Kill some demons and pray no one else gets the idea I'm screwed what am I supposed to do?'

_"You **do** have the shikkon no tama. You can end this, what what's been aside of you all of this time."_

Kagome looked ahead leaning on a tree. "Make a wish."

Thinking back on it on the roof top she didn't know if it was a good idea or not. Her thoughts had been so jumbled as of late, but she always was jumbled, so it didn't make a difference. It was her, she was screwed even in her thoughts. But there was one thing she knew she had to do. Because she did love him. She waited for a few hours and spoke seeing Hiei sitting on the opposite end of the roof. She stood, walked, and sat directly next to him getting his attention.

"Would you leave with me?"

Yusuke yelled, flustered, hungry, and extremely pist. "What the fuck do you mean shit head?"

Raizen spoke looking at him. "Thick skull and hard of hearing. I said I stopped eating humans once I found out I knocked one up. An ally said he sensed something of me near by and looked seeing something mainly human, and that was about six hundred years after I fucked the woman. I didn't want to accidentally eat something of mine-"

Yusuke sent another jakai shot at him and started punching, still unable to get though. "-fucking sick bastard you ate humans! What the hell why'd you fuck one if you wanted to eat her!"

Raizen laughed enjoying himself. "Crass bad ass. Stupid fuck up! What you would have rather been dead or non existent in the first place? You weren't born full blood fool what if I had eaten your bastard of a mother-"

Yusuke kicked through the barrier, his energy inside causing the chair to crumble then the pieces to turn into dust as he yelled in his face. "-My mother _was_ a lot of things but one thing she never was was a bastard ass hole!"

Raizen stood, taller than Yusuke by a head and smirked. "I'm standing." He saw Yusuke blink and laughed. "Fool. And three weeks in this place with about two days sleep and you _still_ can't use the damn power I gave you, even if you are that pissed off for some human." He shook his head. "Ask what you want boy I've already waisted too much time on you and I'm sure your idoitc 'travel companions' have thought I've killed you by now. At least you can go this long without food without passing out and still having the same pathetic amount of energy you came with about."

Yusuke closed his eyes, pist, but knew if he even tried to attack the demon before him he'd be in a word of pain before he could unflex his muscle. "I'm looking for the two youkai, Chenja and Akumu, the ones trying to undo everything with magic their way. Also the human hybrid thing Hiroth we're looking for, and Sesshomaru."

Raizen smirked at him. "Forgetting anything boy?"

"Fuck you and no."

"Forgetting something someone you've come across told you to ask and you wanted to say if I didn't turn out to be 'too bad of a bastard'."

Yusuke kept his eyes closed. "Stay the fuck out of my mind."

"When you can keep me out of your mind then I'll stay out but until then or you decide to stay for some more intense training I'm in your head-"

Yusuke looked at him yelling. "-Bastard you called this training?!"

Raizen glared at him. "I was not in here with you for this long for my own benefit fool." He saw Yusuke close his eyes. "Before I answer your questions you will come back within the next seventy five years and stay for an extended period of time and be trained. Is that understood."

Yusuke looked at him gritting his teeth. "Yes."

"Good. You can even bring your little wife if she's not pushing daisies by that time. Now what was your message for me. I'm not in your head all of the time fool."

"Totosai the blacksmith said hello and stop by before another thousand years pass or some bull."

Raizen smiled. "Wasn't that difficult now was it. First question, Chenja and the hanyou nightmare demon, they're up north after the furthest island the dogs claim. Fools probably don't even know. Magic around it so I'm sure you're not that much of a fool to understand you might not be able to just walk in on it. Second question, Hiroth's on a border land between the west and east towards the middle of it. Third question, Sesshomaru's heading for that area now and when he's done the dog'll go to one of his ningenkai homes in the same area. Now go to sleep since I'm kicking your ass out the moment you wake up again."

Yusuke gave him a look. "Fuck I ain't sleeping in this place-"

Raizen hit Yusuke on the back of his neck letting him fall to the ground and shook his head. "Fool."

Katsumo lounged around. Zokusai was true to his word, he wasn't and hadn't let him find out anything. And now the lot of them, minus Kagome and Hiei which was normal, stood in the main room. The human looking people had told them to get ready to leave-

"Idiot is even more of a fool if you children are who he hangs around with."

Yoko turned seeing who could only be Raizen leaning against a railing on the upper floor. "Where's Uremeshi at."

"He'll wake up in a few minutes. You're the only one with some sense then. Kitsune as old as you and your kind are always getting themselves killed doing something idiotic. Why you're hanging around a fool I suppose. Make sure fool eats something when you leave, stupid boy probably wouldn't do that either." He opened his hand that was balled under his chin. "As well I left this Valkarie was failing at being stealth in my own home, with you?" He shook his head. "Spirit fox are you an idiot as well or do you not know if the Valkarie is with you or not speak."

"The Valkarie isn't with our group. Do you mind if I take it from you."

Raizen tossed the green bean sized create and saw Yoko catch it. "Fool's finally awake-"

"-You GD bastard-" Yusuke jumped in front of him yelling in his face.   
"-shut the fuck up ash hole!"

Raizen smirked at him. "Fool. Get out of this estate now."

Yusuke didn't move. "The fuck should I fuck head-"

"-because I told you to fool. Now."

Yusuke cursed loudly walking off slamming the doors open and continued on. He stopped in the middle of the meadow, cursed loudly and waited for the rest to catch up.

"Where the fuck are those two at."

Shuichi noticed Yusuke's aurora was flaring, enraged, pist, more than he had ever seen him before in his life. And he was wearing clothing that he wore similar to the dark tournament. He wasn't sure if asking what happened would ever be acceptable.

"Yusuke…There was a Valkarie found in the estate-"

"-explain to me what a Valkarie is then so I know what the hell you're talking about."

Shuichi was worried about things now. "Fairies of the sort, though this type… Varies. Yoko's waking her now."

A small winged woman woke inhaling pollen coughing some finding herself tied down with grass and looked around speaking knowing they could all hear her.

"Un bind me now! How dare you do this to me!"

Yoko had a fear in his instinct. 'What if…' "Why type of Valkarie are you."

The fairy flittered around. "Why should I tell you anything? What are you going to do kill me-"

Yusuke shoved Yoko and Shuichi aside and squatted getting in her face. "-Woman if you don't answer every one of his GD questions I will make your life hell until I tire of hearing your cries and eat you wing by wing limb by skin."

The fairy was incredibly scared. "Yes sama."

Yusuke growled at her. "Good." He stood. "Talk."

Yoko knew not to even say anything about Yusuke and knelt in front of her again with Shuichi. "What type of Valkarie are you."

She sighed. "I'm a thought Valkarie."

Yoko spoke quickly. "How long have you been following us."

"Since you started to travel with the Toushin-"

"-and since then who have you been targeting and saying what."

The fairy sighed. "The fire and ice woman. Akumu told me to find her and make her think that you two shouldn't be mates any longer because you were just using her as a pet that you found interesting and wanted to keep around. That the little male of your group was the only one who wasn't using her or hated her and form a small trust with the fire and ice male so that they could leave the group and find Akumu on their own. As her own voice she also is supposed to ditch the little male as soon as he can get her to Akumu, fight them on her own where she'll win by deception. Akumu and the other guy he's with are staging it so that she'll think she win. And the last thing I said as her own conscious was that she was to make a wish on the jewel as the only way you'd forgive her for what she's done to you. I don't know anything else really-"

Yoko was scared, clearly. "-how long ago did she leave."

"I'd say…-"

Yoko barked at her causing her to let out a shout. "-When did she leave!"

"At dawn!"

Shuichi saw Yoko turn into his fox form and take off running and was out of sight in seconds. Yusuke spoke to Zokusai, getting him to stop, and held Nijuu crying some, from leaving.

"Don't. We'll run after soon." He looked to Shuichi letting out a sigh. "Anything else."

"One more thing, it's a theory I have. What's your name."

"Shi."

Shuichi quickly snapped the Valkarie's neck and nodded. Yusuke spoke. He could be angry at everything later.

"We're moving quickly so Shuichi either you hop on a fox or head back to Ningenkai now- Better yet take Shio back to Ningenkai and if I catch you in here I'll send you both back myself."

Katsumo ran, quicker than when with the two balds by far almost at his max speed. He wondered why his father didn't send him back as well. Unless he put out a ton of energy Nijuu and Zokusai could keep up just fine, infact they weren't strained at all in their 'true' forms. He just didn't have the energy his father did, and by all of his rage now has clearly gone up. But he didn't complain, he didn't stop, and he would make his father proud even if his grandfather didn't even want to look him in the eye. He looked up seeing the sun set.

'For you Dad.'

Kagome sat with a small smile on her face. She hadn't felt this free in a while. She looked over to her left seeing Hiei taking advantage of the time like she should and was asleep, next to her, both in a tree. It was the first time they had stopped in three days, and it was only for five hours. Eat, sleep, keep running. And they were running and quickly. She knew Hiei was faster than her and let her set the pace, but he helped push her. And she hadn't tired out yet. She shook her head.

"You should be sleeping the entire time."

"A lot on my mind…Honestly I didn't think you'd say yes." She looked at him looking at her. "But I don't regret it."

He smirked. "You have a destination in mind."

"We're not going to look for Sesshomaru, since we have no idea where he is…One of his sons will know and has to tell me, because they know I have to do whatever he says to me."

"You're his slave."

"Basically."

"Where."

"Ningenkai Tokyo. We're almost there."

"Why did you really leave the rest."

"Just, something I had to do," she looked at Hiei. "and even though you can't speak too many syllables most of the time, you're who I trust." She pushed off and took of in a run not giving him time to think.

Yusuke sat down eating. He supposed he had been starved for quite some time, but… Hunger wasn't important apparently. He could function just fine without eating every day, every four days…Three weeks. He'd have to ask the old man when he came back how often he truly had to eat.

_'You only have to eat to maintain these energy levels, peak, one a year. You just like feeding yourself fool.'_

Yusuke punched a tree shouting. "Shut the fuck up geezer!"

Nijuu had quickly ate and returned. "Uhm Yusuke-"

"-if you don't shut up-"

"-no! I mean-" he handed him something. "Shuichi quickly gave this to me before we ran off."

Yusuke unrolled the leaf reading it quickly. 'Writes quick on plants.' "Yusuke. There is more to this than you or I know of right now. What I do know is that something dreadfully awful will happen to Kagome if she does or anyone makes a wish on the jewel, something we don't know but Yoko does. HE wouldn't tell me. As well Kagome had told Yoko when they were in the hall at Maramaru's place that 'And if this doesn't work out we find him, her and do this the longer way' word from word. I asked the Valkarie her name on the assumption, that, since we haven't seen the other part of the long way that something was not obvious. Her name was Shi. _She_. The her to be found of the plan. I know not if Hiroth is the him but be on watch.

As well Yoko as you know is determined when it comes to Kagome and unless he is injured will not stop and won't have to stop until he finds her. And he is determined. If he runs into no problems you will not catch him with the children. Either leave them to catch up and hope they can survive on their own, send them to Ningenkai or send Nijuu and Katsumo back and go after. Shuichi."

Nijuu looked at him. "I want to find my Mom please let me Yusuke. I'll run for a month straight if I'm able to."

Yusuke looked at him and spoke. "Zokusai, Katsumo." He spoke seeing them quickly come. "Katsumo go back to Ningenkai and stay with Shuichi. If I see you here, sense you or think of it you will have hell."

Katsumo was angry but knew to hold it in. "Yes father."

"Now." He waited for a few moments for him to leave. "Shuichi wrote this too quickly and didn't think all the way through. Zokusai you can track but if Yoko is that far ahead Nijuu you will track his spirit. We're not going to stop for a long time so I suguest you both sleep for two hours-"

Nijuu spoke looking at him. "-we can go now Toushin."

He nodded, stood, and took off running. He saw no one following then quickly saw a silver/white fox and a black one at his sides. He looked ahead and continued on.

Yoko was running faster than he had ever in his entire existence and didn't think he'd tire ever. He hadn't been able to feel her soul as he once had been able to ever since he told himself to try to come to terms with her decision, because he did not want to force anything on her, even him loving her. But the entire time…he didn't know if it was one thought, twenty or all of them, but what was going through her head, what had been, wasn't her. The first time they were pulled apart and she died, killing herself because of him. And he swore to her, to himself that he would never let her die again. Kill herself because of something like this he had sworn to protect her and she was off to wish herself out of existence because she was falsely thinking it was the right thing to do?

'How could you ever think that you not existing would make me happy, help me. I don't want to be set free from you Kagome I just want to love you and I'm sorry that I continue to fail you, that I didn't notice when you started to mumble to yourself that I couldn't speak up that I couldn't call you mate to your face that I might have given that cursed Valkaire the fuel in the first place to plot these thoughts of deception into your mind. For you to believe you actually wanted to push me away, that I would _ever_ keep you as a pet… I love you.'

Yoko saw Sesshomaru in the distance walking towards the human hybrid waiting for him and barked to prevent him from going in to fight. Though he had no doubt that Sesshomaru would avail he had no time to waist, even it be one minute. He saw Sesshomaru turn towards him as he ran back onto two legs.

"Fox why isn't your mate with you."

Yoko looked at him. "Kagome never came to see you- Tell me which northern island is where Akumu and Chenja are-"

Sesshomaru picked him up by the neck. "-hold your tongue. Explain yourself kit."

"A Valkarie has tricked Kagome and she runs to Chenja now Akumu now to kill them and make a wish on the jewel."

Sesshomaru quickly dropped Yoko looking off. "She'll undo herself- How far ahead is she to you fox."

"Fifteen hours. I overheard where the near location is she does not know-"

Yoko looked off seeing Sesshomaru take off in a run, quickly ran in his fox form abandoning Hiroth whose energy he sense rise quickly. He didn't like the turn of events…But Yoko was currently running as fast as he could, and could not keep up with Sesshomaru. He had seen a glimmer of his eyes when he said so. So either Sesshomaru was leading him to who Kagome went to ask, or to the demons themselves. Either way, he wouldn't be stopping any time soon. He just prayed he could track Sesshomaru once he got too far ahead of him.

Kagome had ran up to the front of the large traditional house in the country side and was now standing inside with Hiei, next to him, waiting. She didn't know when they left from Raizen's place or even if they had already. She was glad she knew about how the barrier on the place worked, otherwise she might not of ever found the time to leave. Another white haired demon, with light green markings and slightly darker amber eyes came down the steps wearing traditional clothing and spoke.

"Where is the rest of your traveling group wench."

"I thought it best not to bombard your house sama with so many. The rest are slightly behind and look to catch up to us."

Hiei was impressed. 'She knew she had to slightly tell the truth or he'd find the lie.'

"Then why are you here."

"Yamagamaru sama I still follow the orders of lord Sesshomaru and seek to destroy those who wish to do so to me. I ask for their location."

"The third island north of the main lands. There is a magic barrier of the sorts surrounding it, though it is visible." He walked. "Come wench there is a portal that will take you to his son's estate and you will not have much farther."

Kagome followed Yamagamaru outside wondering how powerful Sesshomaru was if he either controlled portals, could make them, or just had access to them. She went inside finding herself indeed just on the outside of the forest surrounding the estate looking in. She gave a nod to Hiei and started running again. She noticed Hiei take the lead about a day later and stop later.

"We're there."

Kagome nodded though she couldn't see, she trusted him. She didn't want to think about what she was going to do, or she might not. She was scared… But she was going to set things right.

"I can't see it."

"The barrier is in front of your face. We have to find a way inside-"

Kagome hit Hiei on the back of his head swiftly knocking him out. She hid him in a tree, felt a flicker of energy and figured the barrier had opened up some for her and walked inside seeing a seemingly abandoned miniature castle as she continued to walk sensing the barrier form itself again behind her.

Zokusai, still running on all fours, growled some. Nijuu thought to Yusuke.

'My Dad's not running west any longer he's going north. And really fast.'

Yusuke spoke changing their direction. "Can you two go faster."

Nijuu spoke after Zokusai growled. 'Yes sir.'

Yusuke ignored the sir and sped up some more. "If he's saying stuff why can't he just use physic stuff like you and tell me."

Nijuu spoke while Zokusai growled where Yusuke couldn't hear. 'I'm not physic and neither is my father. Spirit foxes can communicate to the soul which is what I'm doing to you- Zokusai said Sesshomaru's running with him.'

"What the hell…How far ahead are they to us."

'Four hours and only making the gap large. Toushin sir you're a lot faster than us and you can catch up to our father and we want to be there, but before my Mother does something she shouldn't. Besides you're a lot more powerful than we are and now that you know where you're going it won't be a problem.'

Yusuke nodded, he could tell that was all Nijuu. "Fine. Go to Shuichi."

'Uh… Where's a portal around here?'

"East for two minutes go now." Yusuke smirked seeing the two drop off to a trot and nodded as he ran far faster than before. 'Old man let's see if what you say really holds true or not.'

Kagome entered through the front doors seeing a large room, dusty, plain. Knowing to be extremely on guard she shook her head briefly closed her eyes and saw Chenja emerge from a back room.

"Where's the other one."

Chenja looked at her. "The other one as you so deemed him won't be able to attend our little meeting. To be honest he got side tracked with Toushin and I told him that he wouldn't even be needed for something as trival as you." He raised his energy. "So it's just you and me."

Kagome noticed blood dripping from his back and created an ice ball and threw it at him quickly testing a theory. Seeing Chenja sluggish to move away she quickly threw another at his chest, ran up to him slicing him down and kicked him aside. Yusuke really had gotten to the both of them. She quickly went over to him hassling for breath thanking the opportunity and kicked him in the head hearing a crack. She looked down not seeing any movement then walked away from him. She stared down at herself for some time before she lifted her shirt up and cut into the old scar on her hip, the original resting place for the jewel. After a growl digging deep into herself she cleaned off the glistening pure jewel.

And it was still pure, there were no signs of it being tainted, no darkness whatsoever. Figuring it a blessing she knelt in a prayer position, said a prayer and closed her eyes.

'Midoriko, pure soul of the tama. Hear my prayer, aid my request…. I have a wish to make, and I wish…'

Yoko saw Sesshomaru in the distance, only because he had stopped. He went back to upright form seeing him with a sword in hand that had a dull blade as the other hand was getting sizzled resting on an invisible barrier. With one stroke of the sword a blue arch of energy came out of it tearing down the barrier. But his eyes widened, Yoko's as well upon their senses as soon as it completely faded. An arch of raw pure energy that quickly settled down slightly.

Sesshomaru spoke. "She makes her wish." He took off running. "Fox hurry if you still wish for her life."

'I…I wish for…I wish for…'

Kagome smiled with a tear running down her face as her black and red hair blew around violently with the tama's power raging in a quiet storm. Thinking back, her life could have been worse as a human. She did manage to survive. And her time in the past could never be replaced. She had made good friends, one who was still living today and very old. And she had her first love, unrequited none the less but still love. Which helped prepare her for her true love. And she didn't want to lose that, memories. Those times were over, but they weren't gone. She didn't want to forget what happened. She'd never have them again, but considering what she was… She had a good life and didn't care what happened afterwards.

"I wish for nothing."

Kagome let out a whimper feeling the energy starting to swirl around violently, yet she was not harmed. The tama glowed in her hands calmly and she looked down at it seeing two things, spirits, moving around in opposite directions. She didn't notice anything around her, everything was calm, quiet, as if the outside world to her didn't exist. She had a small smile on her face, she could almost feel it beginning to work.

Yoko ran through the doors with Sesshomaru and immediately took a step back. Pure energy was flowing around Kagome, still in a kneeling position. Yoko shouted after her.

"Kagome do not do this! Stop!"

Sesshomaru looked at her. "She can't hear you." His eyes widened some. "She made a pure wish, the tama hasn't been corrupted by her being demon."

Yoko noticed Sesshomaru's eyes glance some and turned, unable to get much closer without being purified when he noticed Hiei with a small trickle of blood down his neck next to him. He looked at Hiei shouting.

"Why won't you stop her fool!"

Yoko growled. "I can't get any closer-"

Chenja quickly snapped his head up from the ground waking up.   
"-Reitouzoku now!"

Yoko's eyes widened in realization and quickly felt a small shift in energy, a soul die, and the smell of blood. He turned seeing Hiei behind Sesshomaru with his sword deeply embedded through his side almost half way, and as quickly as he did so abandoning the sword he ran to where Kagome knelt getting burned coming inside of the barrier and grasped onto her hands.

Kagome opened her eyes noticing a hand on her and saw Hiei before her and looked at him. "Hiei?"

He deviously smiled at her. "Hiei's dead woman." His eyes narrowed. "And this wish is mine I wish for the original plan of Akumu, Reitouzoku, Ganban, and Chenja to be realized now!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "No-"

Kagome let out a chocking sound as Hiei-Reitouzoku let go of the tama jumping back out of the pure energy. And the rest looked on seeing the energy, the tama, go from pure and serine to dark, defiled, and tainted. Kagome made another chocking noise as the energy kicked up again violently. She soon let out a cry feeling energy leave a gash through her back, blood pouring. And another shout having energy from the tainted tama cut through her chest, her legs, her arms. Kagome cried out with a scream feeling the energy intensify again with black swirls around her, tears pouring down her face as she felt herself being torn apart in every single possible way imaginable before there was nothing left of her body and soul.

Yoko starred onto the scene seeing nothing left of the area save singed ground. Not even the tama was still there.

'She was going to live, set herself free from everything. But it became tainted because of his wish-'

Yoko looked up eyes red at Hiei. "What are you."

Hiei-Reitouzoku laughed some, blood trickling down his body, purifying slowly. "It was Hiei for the longest. When you and your little Toushin killed Koenma's body and soul I knew Rekai would be a miss and attached myself to the hybrid's spirit. And when Enma sent him back into his body by mistake I was right there with him. And you, him, and no one else knew because I kept myself hidden." He laughed aloud. "And now his soul is dead," he dropped to his knees. "and I leave this body before it kills my own. You lose Kurama."

Hiei's body dropped to the ground as the purification took over from the first pure wish and left only ashes. Chenja stood with a smirk.

"A spirit fox without the love of his life and one of if not the most powerful demon in existence on his knees profusely bleeding." HE smiled. "things couldn't have turned out better had I done them. And to think, the bitch actually kept the jewel pure and made a pure wish." He laughed. "That will never be realized."

Yoko growled at him. Sesshomaru took the sword out of him and stood, growling looking at Chenja, and now Akumu, who stood next to him.

"Did Reitouzoku do it."

"It's done."

Akumu looked at Sesshomaru, now looking at him, and unsheathed his own sword. "You may want blood for many things spirit fox but this battle isn't for you. Toushin is approaching." He saw Sesshomaru take out his own blade. "You should leave while you have the chance."

Sesshomaru attacked at Akumu with Tokijin both swords clashing together. Yoko was about to fight Chenja, needing to kill or be killed right about now when he noticed it. Chenja wasn't looking at him, but past him as a voice spoke.

"Yoko shit happened, I don't know what, but Chenja is mine." Yusuke smirked letting his aurora flow around him. "And trust me right about now you don't want to mess with me."

Sesshomaru was pushed back seeing the doors close behind the spirit fox and punched the nightmare hanyou in his throat. He fought to keep his eyes from fully seeing red. He needed to keep control. He was fine with Kagome making a pure wish, even though he had told her not to wish at all. And enraged when Reitouzoku took it all away from her. The injury to his body was hindering him, but he was Sesshomaru, and nothing short of death and possible not even that with Tensagiua could hinder him. A small smile crept upon his face. He would take much enjoyment in killing Akumu, because he and Chenja both didn't realize something that apparently only he knew.

Yusuke was annoyed as he fought Raizen. He had fought bullies, principals, authority figures who thought he was worthless, his drunk ass mother, Kieko even at times- Everyone in his damned life and the few people that had never done shit against him, judged him, were now dead.

'Grandma died believing in me and all I did then was get my ass beat and crawled out alive. Hiei finally opens up and called me a friend _once_ in his shit life and gets a damn spirit to push his out killing him and destroys any chance of him coming back. Kuwabara's human ass who's been my rival until I figured out what the fuck spirit energy was still taunted me and was a great friend until a stupid fucking disease comes and kills him. How the hell are you supposed to fight something no one can see or has heard of! I couldn't help him either! And Kagome's been tortured all her GD life and I can't even be a friend to her and she's dead again!'

He decked Raizen and kicked him severely in the head. 'Damnit all I want to do is live with Kieko away from all of this shit but it follows me and takes me away from her! And she's human! She's going to be dead soon I don't have a damn moment to spare-'

_"Fool! Get out of your day dream of killing me for your fight is not with your old man!"_

Yusuke shouted after kicking Raizen in the head again getting ontop of him beating him into the ground. "You shut the fuck up this is your GD fault I didn't want your fucking blood in me! I'm supposed to be human!" he punched his head in. "And I just cracked your stupid skull how are you still alive?"

Raizen glared at him. _"Idiot. You've been hitting a dead body for the past five minutes I'm in your head." He smiled. "Don't even know who you fought did you. Fool."_

Yusuke blinked holding his head looking around the room, then what he was ontop of and growled. The only reason he could tell it was Chenja was because of the smell of his blood. His head was beaten so far into the ground and the rest of his body was destroyed that he wouldn't have known other wise.

'And you would have just let me continue to beat a dead body you sick fuck…Laugh it up.'

He looked around again noticing other blood stains, Akumu, and Sesshomaru, but didn't see either of them. He went outside seeing Yoko standing with his head down next to Sesshomaru, who was breathing slowly, who turned to him after some time.

"I trust you've finished with Chenja."

Yusuke growled. "Very much so. And of Akumu."

Sesshomaru growled. "He fled with mortal wounds. He, might live."

"What happened."

"The fire and ice male had the spirit of Reitouzoku housed inside of his body. When he entered seeing that Kagome had made a pure wish and would be set free of the jewel and allowed to live Reitouzoku killed the spirit of the fire and ice male and grabbed the jewel making his own wish, then fled the body letting it die. But his wish was never actualized. Kagome had already made hers. Instead of being allowed to live from the pure wish, his tainted one destroyed her, body and soul, and no wish was made."

"So since it was a pure wish that became tainted…What's to become of her then."

"I don't know." He walked off. "Take the fox with you."

Yusuke looked at Yoko, seeing him empty and put a hand on his back and after about an hour eventually got him to walk. He sat with him at the house figuring Shuichi would be taking the children back after some time, but did want to speak to him alone.

"Yoko…You know she just wanted you happy and it is messed up that things turned out like this, again, but…"

Yoko looked straight down. "She's gone for good this time, I know."

Yusuke sighed. He hadn't known for sure but wasn't putting it past a magical jewel that seemingly could not be destroyed.

"Kieko's coming back. Shuichi called her before Nijuu and Zokusai went to him. So Katsumi'll be here soon." He looked up. "And sooner than later there's a taxi in the distance."

Yusuke stood greeting the taxi and Souta, all smiles and make up covered giving him a hug. He smiled some figuring Souta couldn't tell but Kieko could see right through it. After Kieko paid the driver and Yusuke unloaded the trunk she looked at him and lowered her head.

"She died again, didn't she."

Yusuke hugged Kieko holding the baby. "Never got a chance."

It was quiet for a while. "Is, Yoko…"

He shook his head. "Before he said he could still feel something from her, but now he told me she's not coming back. I don't know of him having three children to take care of'll be good enough for him to want to live, especially if this little one turns out looking like her."

Kieko looked up at Yusuke. "Can, I let Katsumi see her Dad?"

Yusuke nodded as Kieko set down the black and white haired fox eared one tail girl in a baby kimono and pushed her lightly. She stood up, six months old around, and walked up to her father fighting through the grass and yipped in front of him.

Yoko looked down seeing the little girl all smiles, oblivious to what was going on around her, picked her up, held her, and let one tear run down his face as he looked on. He wanted to be with her soul, but had to wait a little longer. One look at her…He couldn't leave her too. He had a daughter, without a mother. He was a father. He closed his eyes.

'I'll find you again, mate.'

-

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:p Anyway that's over. I didn't really like this part of the series too much but honestly after I finished writing each one… I always had an idea for the next. And as you can see the third story in the series already has its first chapter posted. I said they weren't going to be short! Hope you enjoyed. Let me know if you did. Laters.


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